Cat's Quarters
by OneLegasy
Summary: When Blake comes home with an addition to the Team RWBY family how will everyone handle this new stress? Watch as relationships rise and fall all over a little black bow. A story aimed to take in all the best parts of RWBY and add some romance for a well rounded story. (I wont kill off anyone) Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1: Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Authors Note: These first few chapters will be reminiscent of the opening trailers for the first Season, short and displaying 4 viewpoints leading up to the real beginning. Disclaimer for the whole story: I don't own RWBY or any of its beautiful characters **

Chapter 1: Curiosity Killed the Cat

A week had passed since the Mountain Glen Breach, team JPNR was trying to recover from the intense fight with the invading grim, if that wasn't bad enough the next week was going to filled by classes. In light of this Nora was having one of her rare quiet moments with her comics and music, Ren was sitting next to her cleaning and checking Stormflower for what she thought was the hundredth time since the battle. Through the silence that draped over Team JPNR's room came a high pitched squeal and an energetic chattering. The room across the hall belonged to team RWBY and noises like that did not belong there, Blake had made sure of that, going so far as to glare daggers at any visitor who dared to exceed the comfortable reading noise bracket. After a whole 10 seconds of this out of place noise (for Nora this was impressive) Nora could not contain herself anymore she had to find out what it was, leaping off the bed (nocking Ren off in the process) dashing to the door she was met with a flash of dark purple and a cry of delight...


	2. Chapter 2: Stray and Domestic Cats

**Author's Note: So if you havent Figured it out yet this is my First Fanfic so I have a long way to go, ill try my best to make it enjoyable for you.**

Chapter 2: Stray and Domestic Cats

Having just returned to beacon after their Junior detective de-brief Sun and Neptune were taking a break on the bench next to the air strip, talking about their assignment among other, more sensitive topics, topics that may include a quiet black cat. " do you think she saw me fighting?" asked Sun in hushed tones. "Dunno man I was too busy fighting to notice." came the mildly interested answer "aww come on dude, you cant just keep me hanging like that!" neptune got up saying " well if you want to know so bad, ask her yourself." turning, sun noticed that familiar glossy coat that was the centre of is worries entangled with a rougher more unkempt one.


	3. Chapter 3: A Cat Nap

Chapter 3: A Cat Nap

Weiss was not a morning person, she was at the hight of teenage apathy, preferring to get up after 12 if she could help it. 6 in the morning was when Ruby in her youth would usually wake, trying to be as quiet as possible she would get up, shower, change then go about her daily business, luckily for Weiss today she was (for once) quiet leaving the heiress to her sleep. This (unconscious) victory was short lived for at 8:13 the sound of Blake and Suns' voices drifted down the hall. To someone so well versed at sleeping in as Weiss this had no effect. Unfortunately for the resident Ice queen nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught that was coming as the two faunus opened the door. Waking to youthful energy that could put Nora to shame was not very high on Weiss's to do list but alas for it could not be avoided.


	4. Chapter 4: Dogs and Cats

**Authour's Note:This concludes the prelogue, from here on out I will try to upload biweekly, also I think I have my head around the whole update thing now. **

Chapter 4: Dogs and Cats

Zwei was dozing peacefully at the foot of the bed when Ruby woke him by hooking up his leash to his collar, instantly awake Zwei was ready for a walk around the campus, there was always some new adventure to be had here. By the time Ruby and Zwei were half way around the campus, (just outside the landing platform) he was deeply regretting leaving the room. There was a distinct smell that made him nervous, that smell brought back memories of a younger more energetic Ruby. When they got back to the dorm building the smell was everywhere and was accompanied by those demonic giggles the herald embarrassment and pink bows.


	5. Chapter 5:Of Cats and Nightshade

**Author's Note: This concludes all of my pre-prepaired work so my next update will probably be in two weeks time. Im a bit of a beginner so there is some akward spots in this peice. Finally Does anyone have any tips for writing dialogue, at the moment I am trying to avoid it lest it become "he/she said" fest. Without further adeu, enjoy.**

Chapter 5 : Of Cats and Nightshade

The moon hung low in the sky being chased by the rosy light that heralds the coming of dawn. Just as Blake had suspected, the Mountain Glen incident had completely rattled the White Fang. Lots of angry faunas were leaving the meeting, some even discarding their masks away as they went. What she didn't expect to see was a tiny cat clad in deep purple get shoved away by the guard at the door. The poor girl couldn't be older than 3, what was a toddler doing here of all places? Blake's silent question was soon answered as the girl began crying for them to give her mum back. Another innocent soul suffering at the hands of this silent war, just like she did.

Memories of pain and loneliness washed over blake making her ears buzz with white noise and her vision waver. Used to these unpleasant reminders of her dark past, she pushed them away only to see the door guard raise his hand to silence the noisy child. Blake saw the blow coming from miles away, without thinking blake rushed forward sweeping the child out of the way. The guard realising her presence made for his weapon but by the time he was ready, she was gone.

Holding the child in her arms Blake ran, and didn't stop running until the sun was up. Finding herself on a main street with a cold and petrified child she figured it best to find a place to rest for a minute. Hearing a growl from the faunus child's stomach Blake decided on a little roadside cafe.

Two hot chocolates and a salmon sandwich latter the girl was finally ready to talk. Her name was Baise and she was three and a half, her parents had gone into a White fang meeting after leaving her under the care of the local book shop owner Tukson. Who disappeared one day, leaving her all alone. Her parents never returned from that meeting. Knowing that her parents would have died in the Mountain Glen Incident Blake was unsure what to do.

Deciding to ask the girl herself Blake questioned Baise about where she was going to go. the only response was tears. Comforting her the huntress in training decided that she could stay at beacon while a more permanent solution was found. With that blake picked up the girl awkwardly with one arm and set of for the nearest air field.

* * *

Baise was amazed with the view from the airship and exited by the stories Blake told her of Beacon Academy she was somewhat happier than when they first set off. As the ship docked Blake picked up the three year old and got ready to step off. Luckily for Blake the help was right there waiting for her, in the form of a star struck monkey and a bemused Sea God.

" Uh Blake I didn't know you had a sister!" stammered Sun. Realising for the first time that the little girl in her arms was an almost identical copy of herself albeit a little smaller and less clean Blake mumbled oh we aren't related, don't ask it is a long story. Sun having regained some of his composure asked what was happening and if he could help with anything, he was promptly told to come along if he wanted to find out. Baise had other plans though reaching out and grabbing hold to Sun's tail. " Monkey Monkey!"

In the end Sun was charged with entertaining the little girl as they walked to team RWBY's room the older Faunus was talking to Sun about how she was going to look after the girl for a while when they arrived. Opening the door Blake and Sun stood witness to the little purple blur that zipped across the room to jump on a poor unsuspecting Snow Angle.

The ensuing shriek would have surely blown eardrums if it hadn't been for the three year old body covering Weiss's mouth. Giggling at the Ice Queen's startled face Baise began running around the room and checking everything out. Before Weiss could explode the hyperactive little girl dashed out of the room encountering her second victim: Nora. The Valkyrie was nocked back as the little girl crashed into her. Quickly regaining her composure Nora looked at her assailant before screaming and picking the winded girl of the ground. " Oh my god aren't you the cutest thing ever. The two girls grinning at each others enthusiasm. The two over energetic girls had begun to dance around Team JNPR's room.

Blake made quick work at controlling the situation before it got out of hand, she picked Baise out of Nora's arms (much to the latter's displeasure) and dragged them into team RWBY's room then locked the door after Ren. As Weiss said Blake had a lot to explain. Ruby arrived not a moment too soon either just before Blake began her explanation she walked in pulling a terrified Zwei with her.

* * *

After having briefed everyone minus Yang (who was nowhere to be seen) Blake sat down on her bed exhausted. " how are we going to explain this to Professor Ozpin?" she asked only to be met with silence " well I don't know how your going to handle this along with school, it just wont work out." pointed out Weiss " hey hey Im sure we can think of something." cut in Sun "I have to try." with that Blaise suddenly grew bored of Sun's waving tail and walked over to Blake with a yawn Big sis, I'm tired. Blake picked up the child and tucked her into the bed where she promptly fell asleep.

With the heavy weight of responsibility weighing on their minds everyone went about their own business. leaving Blake and Sun to look after the sleeping child.

"You know this is going to be a big burden, even if it is just temporary." Sun began

"Well what else can I do?"

"You could lean on you friends a bit, I'm happy help if you want."

"Sun, that's really sweet of you but I took this responsibility on myself."

"That doesn't mean you always have to stand alone," the monkey said as he sat next to blake. " You can let us, let me, pick up the slack once in a while." Feeling a sudden bout of exhaustion kick in after a long night, Blake felt her head tilt and fall onto Sun's strong warm shoulder, she was fading so quickly that she didn't notice her friend's deep blush and awkward arms that were only just fast enough to catch her fall. Shocked by her openness Sun managed to lower her safely to the bed and tucked her in gently beside the three year old girl that was about to change their lives.

As Sun got up to leave he turned and built up the courage to do something he had wanted to do ever since that night with Torchwick at the docks. He slowly bent down everything seeming surreal, brushed her delicate black strands of hair from her face and touched his lips to her forehead before standing up and leaving the girls to their sleep. When the door clicked closed a gentle content smile found its way to Blake's face.


	6. Chapter 6: The Wizard of Ozpin

**Author's Note: I am really enjoying wrighting this story, as a result of my overactive imagination I have already finished the next chapter, there are a few bits that are a little rough arround the edges, but overall I think that it is somewhat more fluent than the last. Thankyou to the people who have followed and favourited, it is great to see that there are others who are enjoying this little dreped up story as much as I am. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 6: The Wizard of Oz ... pin

The sun had passed it's zenith when Blake awoke to the wriggling of a little body. Baise had woken up and was trying to disentangle herself from the bedsheets. Sitting up the Huntress to be helped her out of the covers, taking scope of the room it seamed that the others had returned as all of the beds had been made and the floor had been cleared of homework books. Looking at the disheveled three year old Blake decided that they both needed a shower. It seamed that the others had been one step ahead of her as there was some soap and a fresh change of clothes for both of them, Weiss often acted quite cold but she really did care about her team-mates.

Now that the excitement of a new adventure had worn off Baise was considerably more manageable. They handled the showers without incident, Baise was surprisingly well behaved, though that might have been due to her drowsiness.

Blake was surprised to find Ruby had returned she was tinkering with her beloved Crescent Rose.

"Hey Blake, Yang and Weiss went off somewhere and said I was too young to go"

"Ok." the faunus said before grabbing some of the pancakes left over from Ren's last batch and put them on a plate for Baise. Sun with his ever impeccable timing swung in through the window with some fruit in his arms.

"Sup girls,"

"Hey sun" Ruby chirped

"All rested up Blake?"

"I guess so, at least Baise looks happy... I I guess we should take her to Professor Ozpin when she is finished."

"You look like you could use a meal," Sun said before offering an apple to her

Blake thanked him before moving to stand beside him, somewhat closer than she normally would.

Ruby watched this whole encounter awkwardly from the sidelines before grinning evilly, she had a plan but first she would need backup. Quietly sneaking out of the room to find Nora the red caped girl went unnoticed by the three faunus.

A comfortable silence filled the room while the three ate their respective meals, the two older faunus completely distracted by the close presence of the other. Once she had finished with her pancakes Baise stood up.

"Big sis?"

looking down Blake noticed the girl pulling on her free hand.

"We should go, there's no point delaying,"

"Ill come to," offered sun.

"You should just stay here,"

Worried Sun began to object

"I can handle this part." She said giving him a rare comforting smile.

He sat down on a bed waving goodby to the leaving figures.

* * *

The hall was now filled with students talking amongst themselves, Cardin Winchester the resident ass of Beacon was standing in front of his room next to team RWBY's. Deciding to try to avoid conflict Blake just picked up the three year old and walked past, apparently Cardin didn't notice them for some reason because he just kept staring at the opposite wall talking on his scroll.

Blake felt awkward leading a three year old around campus, and people kept giving them funny looks, she didn't like the attention. Baise was responding in a similar fashion, about half the way down the corridor she grabbed onto the older faunus's leg mumbling something about scary looks. Leaning down Blake picked her up again, with the girl safely in her arm she continued on her way to the headmaster's office scowling at anyone who dared to stare too long.

* * *

At the foot of the elevator Blake sighed with trepidation, while Professor Ozpin had said she could go to him when she needed help, but she had a sneaking suspicion that this was not what he had in mind.

The ride up was just as stressful as the walk to it. Blaise finally spoke up again asking where they were going.

"Were headed to the Headmaster of Beacon, he is at the top of the tallest building, you can see all the way to vale from his office. Replied Blake trying to cheer up the little girl again. Her plan worked the smile returning to the girl's innocent face. With their destination nearing Blake pulled the bow from her hair revealing her own cat ears.

When the door opened The Headmaster was not alone, he was discussing something with Glinda Goodwitch, the combat instructor of Beacon. When she walked across the threshold he turned looking at the newcomers.

"Miss Belladonna, what brings you here with what seams to be your new charge. young miss what might your name be?" said Professor Ozpin, ignoring the angry look coming from the combat instructor. Blake walked forward to the desk presenting the girl to him.

"Well?" prompted the principle

"Blaise," came the mumbled response

"Oh?, Miss Belladonna would you like to explain why you came here? And Glinda would you mind getting some cookies for our guests."

"Well where to start? I found her getting abused by some guys in an ally last night on my way back, obviously I helped her, from what she told me I figured out her parents were part of the white fang and died in the Mountain Glen incident. I couldn't just leave her there with no one to look after her so I brought her here to look after her until we find a proper solution." Little did Blake realise but as she went her talking had gotten progressively faster until she was quite starved for breath.

"That is all well and good but how do you plan on looking after the girl, you still have obligations to your Team and classes." The strict teacher off to the side finally making her input.

"Well I haven't had much of a chance to think about that yet," admitted Blake

"This is quite a dilemma we have, I understand why you feel so strongly about this but it might be more than you can handle on your own,"

"That is why we're here!" just as Ozpin finished his sentence the door opened to reveal Team JNPR and Sun with Ruby in the front.

"What are you guys doing here?" said Blake

"You did't think that we would let you do this all alone did you?"

A small smile crept onto Professor Ozpin's face "Well I think that changes things a little, I guess if you can organise something, we can put this under the pretext of a civil service mission."

Blake was so shocked that she didn't know what to say

"Oh are those choc chip cookies?" Ruby said spying the platter in Goodwitch's hand."


	7. Chapter 7: Breaking the Ice

Chapter 7: Breaking the Ice

**Author's Note: Hi guys hope You like the story so far? Im pretty happy with this chapter but things start getting really interesting in the next one. I am including a bit of humour and fluff in this chapter. Now that I have a bit of a flow I will be making the chapters a bit longer. (twice as long**)

Still dumbfounded by Professor Ozpin's favourable response Blake lead the misshapen group of students back to their dorm rooms. They hadn't realised just how long they had spent up in the emerald tower, it was already growing dark. They still needed to eat dinner and organise sleeping arrangements.

Jaune realising the predicament quickly took charge.

"Ren, Nora and Ruby you go to the cafeteria and get enough food for everyone here, Blake and Sun you two take care of Baise, Pyrrha and I will Get the folding tables and chairs from our room." with a plan set everyone parted ways, The faunus trio began heading for the school shop hoping to find an outfit that the youngest of the three could sleep in. About half way past the library they ran into the missing members of their merry band of huntsmen in training.

"Blake!" exclaimed Yang

"Hey ladies where have you been all day?" Sun said putting on his trademark grin.

"Oh just in town, we picked up something for your little girl Blake" she said showing her arms laden with bags.

"Thanks for waiting Wei..." Neptune trailed off as he came around the corner noticing the three faunus.

"You!" Sun was pointing his finger at the guilty sea god. "You just abandoned me without another word I'm assuming to spend time with these two!"

"Wow settle down man, you seamed a little preoccupied (he glanced at Blake) so I didn't want to interrupt."

"Are you two finished? because we need to get back before dinner finishes." The grumpy looking ice queen spoke up.

Taking heed the danger the boys had put themselves in they quietened up and began to follow the female quartet. As they walked along the two began whispering.

"Man that girl can be scary," began Sun.

"I think women in general are dangerous, I mean I wouldn't want to incur the wrath of any of them."

"Blake is nice though she is more level headed than the others."

"Still just to be safe remember the five magical rules of a happy relationship: yes dear, of course dear, your right dear, I'm sorry dear, Ill do it right away dear."

The boys chuckled between themselves at the inside joke, not having realised that coco was walking just behind them and heard the whole encounter.

* * *

Somewhere on the walk back to the dorms the two boys had disappeared but this wasn't much of a concern for the four girls Yang was focused on gushing over Baise and Blake was pretending to listen to Weiss rattle on about strict rules for the morning routine.

When they arrived the tables were set out and food ready and waiting, it was just as well the two boys from haven had disappeared because Ruby, Ren and Nora had only brought enough to feed eight. Dismissing the missing members of their rag-tag group everyone dug in. Everyone except for the two cats at the end Blake had noticed Sun's missing presence and was worried and slightly curious about where he had gone, Baise on the other hand had little room left in her three year old stomach after a whole plate of pancakes and several cookies courtesy of Professor Ozpin.

When the two missing boys finally arrived they looked somewhat worse for wear. Both of Suns hands had been rubbed raw, he had a rash on his right arm and small cuts all over his face, Neptune while hosting less wounds his were considerably more severe with a dislocated shoulder and a sizeable lump at the base of his skull.

Weiss gasped when she laid eyes on a battered Neptune immediately jumping up grabbing him by the arm and leading him out shouting something about nursing as she disappeared down the corridor.

On the other hand Sun was met by a three year old, with a worried look in her eyes, "Is big bro ok?" She asked big lavender eyes glistening with tears. Almost rendered speechless by the adorable sight, Sun managed an "I'm fine, don't worry. Soon after he was lead to the table by the girl and sat down Blake realising he might be hungry quickly combined the remainder her and Baise's meals for the Monkey to eat.

Meanwhile Yang had produced a small book titled 'Black Mail' from her pouch and quickly began scribbling notes down into it.

After eating, what was left of the two teams plus SN organised sleeping arrangements, Blake and Yang's bunk was pushed over to align with the other, Blake and Baise would share the bottom while Weiss and Yang would share the top, Ruby being the good leader she was opted to pull out the mat and sleeping bag to stay on the floor, Sun also decided to stay with them incase he was needed. He had finished setting up his mat when the girls had left for the showers. Deciding to look around he directed his attention to the many books that occupied the shelves around the room.

It wasn't long before the girls returned giving their three-year old companion all the attention she could want. The unanimous decision was that everyone went to bed immediately. But for a certain meddling brawler the fun had just begun leaning over Yang whispered something in Baise's ear before jumping to the somewhat unstable top bunk.

Just before following Blake into bed the three year old grabbed Sun's arm dragging him into bed with her and Blake, settling in between the two beet red older faunus happily. Not wanting to upset the girl they sucked up and accepted it.

An hour after the lights had been put out Weiss and Neptune returned, in considerably better shape. When they slipped through the door they were met with a grinning Yang who dragged both in and silently pointed at the now double top bunk. While the couple gaped at the suggestion the door was forced locked behind them trapping the whole team in. Now only Yang could leave. All other sleeping options taken, the embarrassed Huntress in training lead her sea god up to their bed resigning herself for now. After all revenge was a dish best served cold, and cold was this Ice queen's specialty.

* * *

What happened down in Vale

While Yang and Weiss had claimed they were going to town together, they had very different objectives. The brawler had immediately gotten on her motorcycle (Bumblebee) to visit her favourite dance club and her favourite Junior. Weiss on the other hand had a very different destination: a nice little cafe overlooking the water, where her favourite sea god was waiting for her arrival. Neptune had been wanting to ask to Sun for advice on the matter of conversation topics that his snow angel would like, Blake's sudden presence had stolen away that chance, so he was going to have to work his charm off the cuff.

Author's Note: Ill leave you guys to guess what happened to Sun and Neptune ;)

Do you think I am taking the story to slow or too fast? Let me know.


	8. Chapter 8: Hidden from Plain Sight

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter, there are a few bits I struggled to write but overall I think this chapter went well. I am going to try and update on a weekly basis from now on but don't hold me to my word on that. **

Chapter 8: Hidden from Plain sight

Unsurprisingly the first one up was Yang, and with her rising came the clicking of a scroll camera. First the happy family, Baise grinning in her sleep in the other two faunus's embrace, both of them had gentle content smiles. Next the young love, Weiss was on her side being held from behind by Neptune who's big strong body fit perfectly in behind her's. Grinning at the the expressions of the spooning couple Yang quietly left the room to show Nora her new finds.

Team JNPR's room had been left open all night, most likely because of Jaune. Upon entering Yang was met with quite a sight. Pyrrha was sleeping with her head resting on the knights chest. Nora and Ren were so tangled together it was hard to tell when one ended and the other began. seizing the golden opportunity Yang quickly snapped some pictures to use as evidence then left the room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Blake woke to find her face mere inches from Suns, even more surprising she noticed that they had their arms around each-other with a sleeping Biase in the middle. Face turning a shade of red that could give Ruby's cape a run for it's money. Trying to calm herself down and find a suitable plan of action Blake began to retrieve her arms, this ever so subtle movement woke the sensitive huntsman in training across from her, eyes flickering open Sun grinned sleepily.

"Morning."

Blake wasn't sure her Face could get any redder but she was somehow managing it.

"Good morning" she managed to mumble before extracting herself from his grasp and the sheets. The moment she was free, she was gone like the wind off to the room's bathroom.

Shrugging Sun got himself up, looking down at the young faunus that was now drowning in the mass of covers. where did they even pull these double bed set from?

Meanwhile Blake was sure she was dying of embarrassment. She had never admitted to anyone the small ... admiration she had for the easy going monkey boy, she really didn't know him too well, yet she found herself sleeping in the same bed as him, for some reason she was really happy about it too. Shaking those thoughts out of her head she striped and turned on the water for a shower.

Sun was finally managing to free his mind the sleepy fog that clouded his thoughts. First he realised that Ruby and Yang were missing. Then it sunk in what had happened last night. He had just slept in the same bed as Blake! stumbling on this realisation his face promptly began to glow. Before he could further this thought, he realised that Weiss wasn't alone on the top bunk. At least he wasn't alone in his suffering.

Once Blake had showered and changed Weiss took her turn and the boys left for their own room.

After getting ready they met up again in the cafeteria for breakfast. Jaune and Pyrrha were already there waiting for them. The two had an explanation for Nora, Ren, Ruby and Yang's mysterious absence.

Jaune explained "They ate quickly before heading off to the air-field, apparently they were going to organise some changes. It must have had something to do with team CRDL because Yang dragged them along with her." he said with a noncommittal shrug.

"Yang has been behaving a bit suspiciously lately," Weiss pointed out, blushing slightly at the thought of what happened last night.

"There isn't much we can do about that until they get back," Pyrrha said

Once they had finished breakfast Jaune and Pyrrha left to train together, Weiss insisted on going to the library to study pulling Neptune along with her.

Deciding that they needed more supplies for Baise the remaining faunus trio headed back to their rooms to grab some stuff before heading into town. They met back up at the launch pad.

The trip to town was encompassed by small talk focused around the three year-old that they were looking after. Upon arriving they made their way to the shopping district, Sun had insisted avoiding the main shopping centre where unsurprisingly he was a bit of an infamous figure.

They picked up a number of items for Baise during their shopping run: A new tooth brush, 2 pairs of shoes (one set of runners, one set of balet flats), a few new sets of clothing, some underwear (Sun had to wait outside that shop), a bag, some books and stationary, and finally a Pyrrha Nikos plushie, courtesy of Sun.

Having finished their shopping they headed to the same cafe where Blake had first told Sun about the white fang. On their way there though they ran into a group of thugs.

"Hey, this is a toll road you know you have to pay, say 50 lien for using it."

Sun stepped forwards "Look we don't have time for this crap just leave us be."

"ooh look at the tough guy, pay up or we will have to hurt..." the leader of the group stopped mid sentence starring at the spot right behind Sun "What the hell? they just disappeared!

Turning Sun saw that Blake and Baise had like the thug had said they were nowhere to be seen. "Blake?" he called.

"What's wrong Sun?" came her disembodied voice.

"Where did you go?

"What are you talking about we are right here?"

Before Sun could answer the first thug ran forward attempting to take Sun by surprise, his attempt proved futile as Sun deftly stepped to the side using his foot and a well timed strike to nock his assailant unconscious. The next two attacked together, attacking from both sides at once, the skilled faunus grabbed both of their swinging fists pulling them together, then grabbing the two men's heads, smashing them together. The leader attacked next, he seamed somewhat more skilled in combat but still no match for the hunter in training, sun struck first this time ducking down and using his leg to sweep the leader's feat from beneath him before kicking the side of his head, nocking him unconscious.

Having dispatched the group Sun turned around just in time to see Blake with the three year old in her arms reappear.

"Hey I didn't know you could turn invisible!" he said

"What do you mean?"

"Just then you you were invisible."

"Wait what?" Blake was thoroughly confused now

"You mean that you didn't do that?"

"Are you saying that we turned invisible?"

"Yeh" Sun then having an idea stepped over and touched the youngest faunus on the forehead, reaching out with his aura he found that hers was activated! "I think that was Baise, her aura is active, that might be her semblance.

Blake was just as shocked as Sun looked, This three year-old girl was strong enough to turn two people invisible for several minutes without even breaking a sweat!

The trio continued past the unconscious thugs and continued to the cafe where they talked about Blaise's new found power over lunch.

* * *

After lunch the three faunus gathered some supplies for weapon maintenance from a small weapons shop called 'from dust to dawn' owned by a nice old man who gave them a 'family' discount. One thing Blake noticed that is that Sun never once tried to steal anything the whole trip, not even a banana when they passed a fruit market.

When she asked why he said "I only steal from name brands and big capitalist companies, they make it hard for nice little shops and local markets to sell much of anything. Also the owners are always nice, it's so easy to make friends with them. In other words you could say that stealing from small shops would leave a bad taste in my mouth."

Blake was genuinely shocked to see him so adamant about something most people would just dismiss. It was a nice side of him that she absolutely lo... The cat faunus quickly cast that thought out of her head, instead choosing to bend down and ask Baise if she wanted to head back home.

While she would never admit it but Blake really enjoyed their little trip to the city.

When they got off the airship the faunus trio began walking back through the campus towards the dorms.

Upon arriving they found team RWBY's dorm bolted from the inside, the cacophony that came from inside did little to alleviate Blake's concern about what exactly was going on. Seeing that team JNPR's door was open Sun decided to ask them what was happening. Pyrrha and Jaune were inside studying, apparently it was like this when they returned from sparring, the only change was Team CRDL had moved all their things out of their room to the extra one down the hall.

Deciding that their best plan of action was just to wait until someone came out of the room. Blake chose to pass the time by taking her charge to the library and teaching her to read, a skill in her eyes was vital to learn as soon as possible.

Sun left the girls to their literary bliss and instead attempted to gain access to Team RWBY's room through a different rout, the window. Upon reaching the back side of the building the monkey faunus stood witness to a kitchen sink being lifted through the window next to the one he was planning to climb through via a pulley and rope. Leaning out of the window was none other than Nora Valkyrie grinning manically at him.

In the library Baise had in-fact proven herself quite a quick learner, having no struggle learning the alphabet and moving onto short words before dinner.

When the feline duo went to sit down at their usual table they were met with quite a sight everyone minus Jaune and Pyrrha looked positively exhausted, covered in grime and sweat, even Nora had toned it down a notch. When asked why they were in such a state they would just answer with you'll see.

On the way back to the dorms, they met back up with Sun. Baise was fading quickly yawning and stumbling over herself so the older faunus had to carry her some of the way. Upon entering their room Blake was amazed, there was a definite change from what it once was.

The hastily constructed bunks had been replaced by proper bunk beds the one on the left was doubble and the one on the right of the room was single. There was also a smaller bed at the foot of the double bunk for Baise. In addition to all this there was a new doorway on the opposite side of the room to the ensuite.

Through the new door in what was once team CRDL's room sat a kitchen table large enough to fit 12, along with a small kitchen replacing what Blake assumed was their ensuite. Noticing her friends smug grins, she finally put the dot's together. The reason why she hadn't seen them all day and the strange noises coming from the room, they were renovating the two rooms to make a home for Baise to live in.

"How did you manage to ... do this much!" Blake was utterly shocked at the level of change that had occurred

Yang came to the fore-front giving her trademark smirk. "It was easy, everyone pitched in and with the help of my 'buddy' Cardon's team it was no problem. Besides I have a friend on the shady side of town who pointed us towards a place where we could get the materials we needed cheap!"

Blake was absolutely shocked at the extent that her friends had gone to for her sake. She was touched.

The cat faunus was brought back to reality by the yawning girl in her arms. "Lets get you showered and off to bed."

Saying their goodbyes everyone returned to their respective rooms Sun being last to leave he was helping Blake get the three year old ready for bed. He tucked her in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Turning around he saw the older cat-faunus emerge from the ensuite. He bid her goodnight before he left for his own room.

Classes started up again tomorrow and he would need his rest if he wanted to keep up with Dr. Ooblek in first period.

* * *

Up in the emerald tower Glinda and Ozpin looked down over the campus.

"Changing their dorms like that is a blatant disregard of school policy, why have you allowed them to run amok like this?" Glinda was somewhat perturbed by the headmaster's laid back attitude towards the first year teams.

"This will be a good exercise for them and it helps form a sense of community between the teams. let them have fun while they still can can." Professor Ozpin had a warm smile on his face as he said this "Besides there is something special about that girl."


	9. Chapter 9: Special Treatment

**Author's Note: This chapter is not my favourite so far, but it isn't bad either. I have included a little fluff, as well as some feel-good moments. I think I am just about done with the introductions, so maybe in the next chapter or the one after that something big will happen. Cudos to all the people who have followed and favourited, it is nice to see that I am not the only one who enjoys these little day-dreams.**

Chapter 9: Special treatment

0:57 am Blake was woken up by a small hand pulling her fingers. The three year old that those petite hands belonged to was standing next to her bed in tears.

"Big sis, I miss mommy."

Knowing the pain that she was going though blake picked her up and slipped her between the sheets.

"I know you do but, mommy can't be here right now. Don't cry I am here to look after you now. Blake said the exact words that she once needed to hear herself.

Cuddling together the two faunus once again let the warm arms of sleep envelope them.

* * *

When Blake next woke her nose was assaulted by the smell of bacon, a quiet sizzling came from the newly refurbished dining room. Baise had already gotten up, so unconcerned with waking the child Blake pulled herself out of bed and wandered over to the door-way.

Ren was standing at the stove with his pancake making things out on the bench, Baise was sitting on the edge off the bench hugging her Pyrrha plushie while watching the martial artist cook.

After Blake knew that the younger faunus was in good hands, she retreated to the shower. The warm water helped wake her up and relax her shoulders, she really hadn't realised just how tight they had become over the past few days. After the shower came the nigh impossible task of brushing her knotted mane. The problem was her brush was back with her uniform... witch was in her closet, outside the bathroom! Realising her grave mistake she wrapped herself in a towel and peaked out of the door. the other girls had woken up and were in the other room talking.

Blake remembered once hearing something about a Murphy's law 'If something bad can happen it will happen, at the worst possible time.' That particular line sprung to mind as Sun opened the door to their room.

Blake jumped, turning she placed her back against the door her face an impossible shade of scarlet. Blake was panting harder than she thought possible, heart instantly leaping to top gear. She was trapped. She tried to find a possable solution, only one came to mind

"S-Sun?" came a shaky voice from behind the door

"Blake, what's wrong?"

"I uh...left my uniform out there, could you um pass it to me?"

"Alright?" Sun knew he was skating on thin ice but grabbed the mound of folded fabric and gave it to the hand reaching through the door anyway.

Blake quickly got dressed then stepped out a tinge of red still visible on her cheeks. "umm... sorry about making you get my stuff it's uhh..."

"No no it's ok ... that is if your ok with it..." the conversation between the two embarrassed faunus quickly dissolved into an awkward silence. Thankfully they were saved by Ren announcing the completion of breakfast from the kitchen.

"uh we should go eat," said Sun leading the way to the kitchen

"Yeh"

The two walked quickly to the table where they chewed away their embarrassment in the delicious breakfast courtesy of Ren, no syrup though, Nora had made sure of that.

The dining room was brilliant, except for one small detail, there were no cups, or plates, or silverware, so they had to dig into team JNPR's supply of plastic kitchenware. For now but next weekend would be occupied by the search for these missing necessities.

Baise once again had the older faunus's full attention as she made a mess with her breakfast. After witch Blake took her to the bathroom to clean her up, leaving Sun with instructions to make the bed and find a suitable outfit for her to wear for school.

After the unfortunate incident of accidentally opening Blake's underwear draw, Sun managed to find a suitable outfit for the three year-old to wear.

The next issue was hair, Sun was handed a brush and told to brush the child's hair while Blake tried to tame her own unruly locks. Now the monkey had little to no experience with brushing hair, so he was relying on pure instinct and fitness.

Despite his best attempts there was no way he could overpower the mighty foe, that was Blaise's rebellious mane. After several failed attempts to straiten the hair, Blake took over gently coaxing out all the knots and tangles with the tenderness and care of a mother.

Both cat faunus now presentable enough to leave the room, they set off to first class: History with Professor cough* Doctor Oobleck. Baise found this lesson rather entertaining trying to follow the hyperactive professor around the room.

Once the hour long lecture on the, early expansion attempts of the kingdoms, the whole class was only assigned a few pages of their text-book to read. The odd thing was he was looking directly at Blake as he assigned it.

As the class was leaving he caught Blake by the shoulder and said in a hushed voice, "I have heard about your mission from the headmaster, be careful not to overwork yourself, you are a top student, the worst thing that could happen for you is to exhaust yourself. If you are struggling with the homework just read over the relevant pages of your textbook, I trust you to make the right decisions."

With that Dr. Oobleck rushed off presumably to refill his coffee, Blake ran to catch up with Sun and Baise.

Next class was grimm studies with Professor Port, This by far was Baise's favourite class the stories that bored most students to tears absolutely enthralled the girl. So much so that she was sitting on the edge of Blake's lap staring intently at the professor.

Professor Port as it turned out noticed the girl's attention to his stories as after class he called the her and Blake down. "I presume this is your new charge Ms Belladonna."

"Yes,"

"Turning to the child Port said "You were listening closely to my lecture today, you might have what it takes to become a great huntress one day!"

Slightly scared Baise hid behind Blake's legs but smiled shyly all the same.

Lunch came next everyone met in the cafeteria to quickly scoff down some food before rushing off to do their own things. For the faunus trio that meant returning to the dorm, where Baise was set to have a nap for the remaining half of the lunch break. Blake took this moment of silence to deal with some of her homework. While Sun watched over the sleeping child, occasionally sneaking a peak at the older girl.

* * *

The second set of classes was considerably more interesting than the first. Up first was Professor Peach. This semester he would be teaching them about first aid and field support. This particular lesson was based around different salves and ointments that can be used for burns and disinfecting cuts. After taking notes the whole class was to practice treating and binding various injuries.

Sun and Blake paired up for this bit. To help entertain the three year old Sun got her to hold the bandages and be ready to pass one of the (empty) bottles of ointment. Blake was up first Professor Peach told them that the the patient had burns all over their right hand, Sun quickly picked up Blake's hand and looked for the right bottle.

"Baise pass the long green bottle."

Without hesitating the child turned and located said bottle before snatching it out of the kit and passing it to the huntsman in training. Sun then pretended to apply the cream then with the help of Baise lightly bound the palm with linen.

Once the last group had finished Professor Peach spoke up "I would like to take this opportunity to point out Sun's excellent use of available resources. He enlisted the help of other unengaged people to assist."

Now it was Sun's turn to feign injury.

"The next patient has a gash from their left abdomen to their right shoulder."

To treat this they would have to remove any coats or outer clothing in the way, that meant Blake had to take off His shirt.

Blushing slightly she sat him up and pulled his arms out of his sleeves discarding the item of clothing to the side. She then took the white container from her little helper.

Dipping her hand into the empty plastic she applied the nonexistent salve to Sun's bare chest. Blushing even deeper as her hand ran over his toned muscles, they looked good when his shirt hung open but up close they were amazing. The bandages came next, all the way up the torso.

The professor let his class out early giving them plenty of time to get ready for combat and aura training with Professor Goodwitch. The class was mostly just the usual lecture, until Blake was called up to contest with Cardin Winchester.

On the fighting end everything seemed normal but for Sun watching from the bleachers this was hardly the case. Baise was pulling on his sleeve asking why Big Sis was fighting. Cardin brought up his mace for a crushing blow when his opponent disappeared, he was shocked to say the least, she was nowhere to be seen.

Blake was surprised when the raised weapon stopped and her opponent was looking around in confusion. Realising what was going on turned to the crowd but couldn't see through the one way barrier that had risen around the combatants. The fastest way to get to the responsible three year-old was to deal with her opponent. springing into action she struck quickly slashing at the baffled first year's back reducing his aura huge chunks at a time.

Soon enough his aura lowered to the red and the barrier was dropped. Looking up Blake saw Sun holding the three year-old. Said girl was wearing a very worried look.

"Mrs Belladonna well done, that was an excellent use of what I assume was your semblance in battle."

Once class had ended (Blake had to convince the younger faunus she was alright first) the trio Headed back to the room for a good long break.

To say that everyone was curious about Blake's vanishing act was an understatement. The dark haired faunus was bombarded with questions the moment she stepped in the room.

It took some time to explain what happened with the bandits and how Blaise's semblance was invisibility. There was also an unspoken agreement that what was discussed would not leave the room, heaven knows what could happen to this child if the higher ups found out.

Everyone was glad that there was such little homework It gave them time to do their own things. Like disappear with Neptune (Weiss), or look for motorcycle upgrades (Yang). Even Ruby had gone to the forge to talk to her new friend a fellow first year student who tended to hang out there.

This gave Blake a chance to continue teaching her charge to read. Sun though had other plans he swept the three year old off her feet he leapt out the window with a cheeky grin. Once safely on the ground he called up to the other faunus, "Catch me if you can."

He took off at a run, heading towards the gardens. Blake left with little other choice abandoned her books and followed him, although a trifle more carefully. When she finally caught up to them Sun had set Baise down and they were waiting at the bottom of a large tree.

We have spent way to long indoors, and in the city, we need to step out and enjoy the great outdoors, and I have just the thing. From behind his back he produced two little wooden swords, To the older faunus they looked more like kitchen knives but they were perfect for Baise.

Blake was a bit miffed that her precious books had been completely left behind but eventually gave in to the prospect of a fun afternoon with the people she L... the word stuck in her mind. What was she thinking? She had grown too soft.

The three played and fought mock battles until the sun was half past the horizon. Puffed and hot the faunus trio made their way back to the room, they opened the door to sizzling food and the gentle smell of a delicious meal awaiting their arrival.

This time Neptune joined them sitting next to Weiss and happily chatting away. Nora ate her meal in record time then proceeded to help her stoic martial artist finish his share. Ruby was talking excitedly to her older sister about her friend at the armoury. Training seamed to never end for Jaune as he was being quizzed by Pyrrha over his meal. Blake and Sun sat either side of Baise taking turns feeding her and themselves.

After dinner everyone cleaned the table and set about their own business. Blake took Baise to the shower and once again left Sun with instructions. In the other room Ruby and Yang hadn't finished their talk.

"He is 16 now but still a first year, apart from me he is the youngest person in our grade." Ruby went on

"oooh and what was his reason?"

"What? oh well he said his semblance was different from most and it helped him progress faster, I think he called himself an **enchanter, **he has a really cool shield that extends to a hang-glider, and these two swords and this detatchable grappling hook on his belt that he can use as a gun."

Yang stopped her little sister's rant there, "Sooo sis, is he your type?"

"no no I would never give up Crescent Rose!" Ruby shocked her sister would suggest such a thing.

"No no not the weapons! The guy, do you like him."

"Of course I do I already told you we are friends."

"Not like that silly do you like like him, you know romantic feelings."

" What! oh uh no not like that, he is just really nice and fun to hang around. He even said he would help me upgrade Crescent Rose this week-end." As she said this Ruby's face turned the colour of her name-sake and she began tapping her index fingers together nervously.

"Ha ha right sis, you totally are interested in him, you have to introduce us!"

...

Oblivious to Ruby's strife, The two female faunus were showered and ready for bed Sun was trying very hard, very very hard not to stare. Blake's simple gown was by no means showy but it didn't fail to hug her delicate curves.

She picked up a book and sat on the edge of Baise's bed tucking the little girl in before reading aloud, it was a simple hundred paged book about a bear named Whinny the Pooh and his adventures with his friends in The Hundred Acre Wood. This book had been one of her favourites as a child herself, it was such a shame it had been butchered so much by modern television shows.

It never failed to amaze Sun how good a mother Blake could be... Soon after the story had finished Baise had fallen asleep, smiling into her Pyrrha plushie. The two faunus returned to the dining room quietly closing the door behind them.

Yang and Ruby were the only people left, the older was still grilling the younger on details about this mystery guy.

Blake immediately walked over to the kitchenette, but Ren had already fixed up what little things they had. Sighing she found her homework and began working in silence, Sun on the other hand preferred to leave work to the last minute, he worked well under stress.

Instead he made his way over to the kitchen, he found coa-coa and sugar along with milk. Using the dust burner he heated up the milk in a camp pot. He added coa-coa and a generous serving of sugar before mixing it together, producing two cups of hot chocolate.

To say Blake was surprised when a steaming cup of hot-chocolate found its way under her nose was an understatement. She accepted the cup with a smile. "Thanks, that's really sweet of you."

Sun nodded and sat next to her, he could have sworn she scooted slightly closer to him.


	10. Chapter 10: Interrogation

Chapter 10: Interrogation

The rest of the week continued in much the same way, although Velvet was enlisted as a Baby-sitter after the bad experience in Monday's combat class, it was convenient that she had a free period every time they had combat. One of the best parts was somehow Yang had wrapped Cardin around her little finger because he wasn't causing any trouble.

Between looking after Baise and working Sun and Blake were kept busy, it had also become custom for the Monkey to make the cat a cup of hot chocolate when she sat down to do her homework.

The weekend came around quickly enough, and so did the little joys that came with it.

First up on the agenda: buying all the kitchenware, it was the unanimous decision that this task would be up to Ren and the girls, (it was also decided that Weiss would be covering the fees)

So at 9:00 the girls piled into the shuttle and left for vale. Blake felt a bit uneasy like something was missing the whole way down but just couldn't figure out what. Upon arriving they decided to get the Kitchenware last after gathering anything else they needed.

With that in mind the whole group (Nora dragged Ren along behind her) made a bee line for the clothing department. Upon arrival Nora declared that they would have a contest on the prettiest dress, and Ren would be the judge. The surprising part was the other girls agreed, only Blake chose to sit out preferring to spend the time in the book store.

Weiss walked off to a specific corner of the store, being the Schnee heiress she had connections in the clothing industry who had made her a tailor dress. She had wanted it for the ball but it sadly hadn't ready in time.

Ruby wasn't a big fashion person but she did know a cute dress when she saw one, for example the one she wore to the dance, while what she chose wasn't super flashy like one Weiss might chose it was good looking in it's simplicity.

Yang was looking through the dresses feverishly she knew she had seen that dress around here somewhere, it had been a little too daring for the dance but for this it was perfect.

Pyrrha on the other hand was lost, she had her head in clouds of blond scruffy hair and quite honestly wasn't paying attention to what was around her.

Nora was alternating between bouncing between racks and standing quietly contemplating, while this was odd, it was not without reason. The normally hyperactive girl was torn, should she pick the dress that she preferred or the one that Ren would like?

After an hour of dress shopping the girls returned and entered the change rooms, Ren by this point had grown bored with cleaning his weapons and was on his scroll. This was also the point where the two faunus returned from their book shopping.

The girls came out of the change rooms and presented themselves to the audience in turn. First Weiss: she had a long flowing white gown with light blue accents, the long veiled sleeves finished the ensemble. Ruby wore a dark red dress that almost matched her normal attire it had no other embellishments beyond a black lining around the bottom of the knee length skirt and the shoulder straps.

Yang had obtained a black dress with yellow accents along the chest region that made her already ample breast look even bigger, in addition it was strapless and the hem only just reached her mid thighs.

Pyrrha on the other hand hadn't found a dress at all, when asked why she just said she got distracted. Nora wore the exact dress she had for the dance claiming it was just too cute.

Ren was in trouble, if he picked any one dress the others would be angry at him, it kind of reminded him of a story he once read about a prince who was asked by three goddesses to decide who was the fairest, he picked one and the others went and had him and his entire kingdom slaughtered.

To resolve this issue he said "Well why doesn't Baise decide that way there is a unbiased decision!"

The little girl in question was thrilled at this idea and before anyone could object made her choice. "I think big sis looks the prettiest!"

Everyone turned their gaze to the older faunus, then after a moment's pause Pyrrha began laughing. Before long everyone was laughing even Blake herself. She picked up the three year old and said "Thank you, and I think you look very pretty too."

With cloths out of the way, the group set off to find the kitchenware, Ren lead the charge, showing them what was best for cooking purposes and ensuring Nora didn't notice the pink plates.

Two long hard hours of shopping later they sat down at a small cafe for some lunch. This is where Nora revealed her second objective for the trip. "So now that the boys are out of the way, we can have a proper girl talk." "ah-hem." Ren began but was soon cut off " So Weiss what is happening between you and Neptune?" All of a sudden almost everyone was agreeing and looking expectantly to the ice queen.

Weiss was gradually reddening as she spoke "Ah I uh I don't know what your talking about" she managed to stammer

"Aww don't try to play dumb Weiss we all know you two are seeing each-other." Yang said clearly enjoying herself.

"W-what! tha-that's just preposterous!" she was quite flustered now.

"We have all noticed you two have been spending more time together." even Blake was making an input.

Then Baise gasped eyes opening wide with excitement " Are Wiss and Nepune in love?" She asked eyes practically sparkling now.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, Weiss are you?" Yang's eyes were tearing up in mirth now.

Weiss was desperate so as a last ditch effort she looked for a different topic, anything. "What about you Pyrrha has that blockhead you insist on following lightened up to you yet?" she had managed to regain some of her dignity.

Before the Scarlet girl could answer Yang cut in. "Well I might be able to answer that for you!" She was grinning evilly as she pulled out her scroll presenting it to the others the image she had taken of the couple in question last weekend upon the screen.

Ruby squealed with delight at the snuggling couple while Blake covered Baise's eyes deeming the image a little to adult for her.

"You aren't off the hook either Weiss," Yang exclaimed with glee, she flicked the picture to the one she had taken of the spooning snow angel and sea god.

Now the blush that had settled on said snow angel's face returned in full force.

At this point Blake decided it would be best to take the three year-old elsewhere not only to protect the girl but also to save herself the embarrassment, she did not want to be on the end of one of Yang's interrogations.

After lunch had passed the group returned to Beacon via airship and set about putting their purchases away. In addition to kitchenware they also bought foodstuffs for Ren to use.

* * *

The girls had left for their shopping, leaving the boys with some time to kill. So they took some of the wood left over from the renovations along with a tool box they borrowed from Team CRDL, who were surprisingly polite. They set off to a tree that was technically off campus but still close enough to easily walk there. This also happened to be the tree that the three faunus often played under.

Here they worked the hours away only stopping for a quick lunch, as they worked on Sun's great plan they talked. Gradually the conversation topic drifted to the girls in their lives.

"So how is it going between you and Weiss? You two seem to be getting along after the dance" Jaune asked while he passed a plank up to Neptune up in the tree.

"Well we've been on a few dates and ..."

"Wow man! you two are dating!" Sun looked down in surprise at his partner.

"Well she wanted to keep it a secret for now but I think I can trust you guys." Said Neptune passing the plank further up to the monkey.

"Geez how are you so calm about this? If I was in your place man I would be freaking out." Jaune admitted passing up the next plank.

"Well I find it really easy to talk to her and she has been really nice." The sea god grinned at the thought. What about you, aren't you getting it on with that champion girl?

"What! Pyrrha pfft nah she doesn't like me like that!" Jaune scoffed

Sun called down "Now Im no romantic expert but even I can tell she is dropping some pretty big hints." Then realising that he might be digging himself a grave said "uhhh anyway the girls should be back soon lets pack up and head back."

* * *

Sun was right when the three boys arrived the girls were packing the new plates and bowls away.

"Blake is in the other room putting Baise down for a nap," Yang said

Thanking her he opened the door quietly before closing it behind him.

As it turned out the three year-old wasn't the only one in need of a nap, the older faunus had also fallen asleep kneeling on the floor with her head on the mattress next to the prone child.

Sun pulled her shoulder and gently lifted her carrying the dark haired faunus bridal style to her bed and tucking her in.

He turned around and slipped back to the common room.

"Where's Blake?" Pyrrha asked as she wiped dust of the new tea cups.

"Sleeping." was his simple response.

* * *

Blake woke up about mid afternoon. upon entering the adjacent room she saw that most of the other students were studying, even Nora appeared to be semi-focussing on the book in her hands as she rested her head on Ren's lap.

A sofa had also somehow been acquired between their return and her waking, this is where the two sat. Sun was sitting at the table reading the assigned readings for Dr. Ooblek's class.

Pyrrha walked over from where she was standing in the kitchen. "We've invited Velvet and Yatsuhashi over for dinner tonight, to thank them for looking after Baise, is that alright with you?"

Blake still a bit slow from drowsiness nodded. Then sat down next to Sun with a yawn.

Said monkey promptly closed his book and stretched. "Im board of reading, do you want to go for a walk with me? you look like you need something to get the blood pumping."

The quiet faunus just hummed her agreement in return. So the two got up and left for their walk. They went all around the campus stopping at the cliff to watch the sun set over the emerald forrest. Silence shroud the two as they walked, it wasn't awkward or hostile, it was a comfortable companionable silence.

As the two returned they met their guests in the hall and walked back to the dorm with them. The boys let the two female faunus talk quietly to each other.

Oppening the door the were met with the smell of good food cooking and a low buzz of chatter. Baise had been 'helping' Ren cook and the others had been sitting around chatting.

The table was quickly set, new plates and silver sparkling. The stoic martial artist had made several keeshes for their dinner, while the kitchen staff at Beacon was good they still could not hold a candle to his homemade meals.

After dinner Neptune and Jaune volunteered to clear the table and do the washing. The others were talking among themselves and Blaise was let go to play with her crayons. Sun took the opportunity while Blake was distracted with the bunny girl next to her to make a big pot of coffee and his customary pot of hot chocolate for the cat girl (She didn't drink coffee). While he was working the smaller cat girl come up and pulled on his pants.

"What you doing big bro?" she looked up at him questioningly.

"Im making some hot chocolate, would you like one?" He said bobbing down to her height.

She nodded vigorously at the mention of the sweet drink. So he got back up finding a lidded cup he poured out a measure of the brown liquid and handed it to the child. He then divided the remaining drink in two for him and Blake, making sure that she didn't get the dregs. Everyone else got up to pour themselves a cup of coffee at one point or another that night.

As everyone was gradually trickling out to go to bed, Blaise began running around excitedly. "It looks like the sugar you gave her has finally kicked in," Yang noted.

While it explained why she was so exited when they first got to Beacon but is usually very shy. Blake sighed and looked at Sun, "You gave her the hot chocolate you can stay here and help deal with the hyperactive kid."

He was all too happy to oblige, he took her into the bedroom and played with her for another half hour while Blake did her assigned readings. After that she took the girl to the ensuite to clean her off and get her ready for bed.

Once that was done the three settled down on Blake's bed and read a book. Sun added his input with sound effects to match the cat eared faunus's reading. Baise who lay in the middle gradually drifting off to sleep.

Once the story was done and Baise was tucked in, Blake quietly thanked Sun before climbing into her own bed. She gave a start when he bent over and tucked her in as well. "Sweet dreams." He quickly said before walking out to the hall clicking off the lights as he went.

Blake slept better that night than she had in a long long time.


	11. Chapter 11: Light and Darkness

Arc 2: Special with a Capital S

Author's Note: This next arc is a little more action drama, you might need to procure yourself some James bond music to go with the action.

I have tried hard to replicate the parabolic ebb and flow of Sun and Blake's relationship over the last couple chapters. I noticed that she would open up to him for a bit then kind of distance herself, only to latter warm up to him again, rinse and repeat. I will begin a more linear incline towards relationship status.

Finally I apologise for using some maths and science oriented language, I am a bit of a science nerd.

Chapter 11: Light and Darkness

Disclaimer: I have made a lot of James Bond references in this chapter and the chapters to come, like all the other works referenced in this story, I don't own James Bond no matter how much I wish I did! My chapter organisation will also be a bit strange, I have planned for this in advance for the sake of dramatic tension... and shameless cliff hangers.

The next few weeks worked much in the same way. Making use of any free periods to teach Baise while making sure it didn't get in the way of their training too much. Occasionally on the weekends the boys would disappear for a few hours, and some of the girls would go into town to go shopping and pick up supplies.

Thankfully there were no calamities during those weeks. Blake had many a chance to recover. The next few weeks though would be some of the most stressful of her life

* * *

Mondays, Blake hated mondays, if something bad were to happen it would always be a Monday. Something bad is exactly what happened this Monday.

Some third year students were harassing Velvet in the hall, apparently her partner Yatsuhashi had caused some trouble for these boys when he found them abusing some faunus.

Sun and Blake came around the corner with Baise in tow when they saw this particular occurrence. The three year old instantly yelled out in protest. "DON'T HURT BUN BUN YOU MEENIE!"

The leader of the gang turned with a cruel grin, "Looks like this little stray wants to pick a fight."

The older two faunus were ready for a fight, watching cautiously as the bully let go of Velvet and began walking slowly and menacingly towards the little cat.

The floor around the three faunus became a pitch black pool of shadow. The two older ones stepped back cautiously.

Slightly worried the bully's chorines began backing away, but their leader just flinched before continuing on.

When he was just 10 feet from the little girl all hell broke loose. The pool of shadows lifted off the floor in a physical manifestation of darkness. Spears and wiggling tentacles shot out reaching for the older student.

To say this made him jump was an understatement. The blades of darkness sliced clean through his aura missing him in most places by a mere quarter of an inch. There was one place where he did get hit, a slowly waving tentacle drew a thin line of blood across his cheek.

The terrified teen wet his pants as the dark blades quickly retracted all the shadows returned to Blaise's feet in a fraction of a second, leaving the bully to fall to the ground.

The responsible three year old wobbled for a moment before falling down herself sweating from exertion.

* * *

Professor Goodwitch came rushing around the corner sensing a incredibly strong aura, one that could quite possibly match her own. She arrived on the scene to witness spears of darkness cut through the aura of a third year student in one hit.

Blake rushed forward to cradle the limp three year old in her arms, concern etched into her normally stoic visage. This is when the Professor walked up to them in her normal brisk fashion. Her expression however was one the two faunus had never seen on her before. Fear.

Glinda had told Blake that she should come directly to Ozpin but the female faunus had argued that they should go to the infirmary to make sure the child still in her arms was safe. Thinking for a moment the professor allowed them to go while she addressed the bystanders.

The two faunus practically ran to the infirmary, Sun dialled Neptune and got him to tell professor Ooblek that they couldn't get to class.

At the infirmary the medical staff took Baise and told them to sit outside and wait.

Waiting was unbearable for both of them, Blake who was normally so calm was shaken. "What if she is hurt, what if she dies, it's all my fault I should have been more careful." she was mumbling to herself.

Sun reached around the panicked cat holding her shoulder comfortingly, whispering to her "Don't worry it is going to be ok." Blake accepted the embrace visibly relaxing at his reassuring words.

Soon enough the nurse came back out of the room with a soft smile. There is nothing to worry about she is just very tired and her aura is low. All she needs is a little rest.

Relieved Blake took the child back up into her arms and made her way through the now deserted halls to the emerald tower.

* * *

When the faunus trio entered Glinda was already talking to Professor Ozpin an enlarged scroll in hand.

The headmaster turned to them "Well aren't you two just full of surprises, first you come seeking permission to raise a three year old on campus then not a month later that girl absolutely annihilates a third year student."

Blake just returned his look with her usual stony expression.

"I noticed there was something special about this girl the moment I saw her, but I never expected her to show a level of aura that challenges that of some the best huntsmen humanity has ever seen. Her power and control are unprecedented "

"I can't imagine James will let something like this slide either." Glinda commented

"No, the general has always gone to great lengths to procure the best students he can." Ozpin said siping his coffee. "How committed are you to looking after this girl? If the general catches wind of this you might find you might be raising her for only a month or two before she goes to a combat school herself."

"I want to make sure she is safe, no matter what." Blake herself was amazed the conviction she poured into her words, she had grown extremely fond of her charge over the weeks they spent together.

"Good, you might have to look into taking on a more permanent parenting roll. Be careful around General Ironwood, you would do well to handle his likely advances tactfully, do not make any rash moves."

"Don't worry sir I will make sure that she is safe." Sun said puffing out his chest a little.

"It is good to see you have such good friends looking out for you. you may need their help before this is over."

* * *

Blake and Sun were given the day off (Much to Professor Goodwitch's displeasure)

A few hours later Baise woke again, with a little yawn she crawled out of bed and wandered over to where the older faunus were studying together. The cat faunus noticed the onesie clad child, she picked her up and sat the girl on her lap.

The three had a small meal and then the elder two set about teaching the little girl to read again. The time flew and soon enough the rest of team RWBY and JNPR returned. Questions began flying almost as soon as they arrived.

"What happened?"

"Where have you been?"

"Are you guys ok?"

Thankfully Ren stood as the voice of reason. "Ok lets not overwhelm them, this might be better discussed over some dinner."

"We probably owe Velvet an explanation as well." Sun pointed out.

Ren made dinner preparations and Blake contacted her faunus friend inviting her and her giant partner to eat with them.

While the dorm was somewhat more busy than before but no one interrupted Blake, Sun and the little girl nestled between them.

* * *

The time to eat came around soon enough, Velvet and Yatsuhashi arrived and everyone sat down. The meal for the evening comprised of stir-fried beef strips with bell peppers and rice.

The strips of beef were quite tough so Sun cut Baise's up into little pieces that she could handle. The odd thing was that he wasn't the only one to do this. Yatsuhashi was doing the same for a deeply blushing rabbit faunus.

"It's just I cracked my tooth a while ago and he has been making sure I don't hurt it again..." Velvet trailed off blushing so deeply that she camouflaged with Pyrrha's hair.

Once dinner was downed everyone looked to the three faunus occupying the end of the table for an explanation. This was Sun's area of expertise now he stood re-telling the tale.

* * *

"and these like wicked shadow spears shot out, they missed the guy by like a half an inch, he was so shocked he wet his pants. Witch is kind of lame since he was acting so big and strong before"

* * *

Once everyone had been caught up to date, Team JNPR, Velvet and Yatsuhashi retired to their own dorm rooms, this left team RWBY Baise and Sun to organise themselves for the evening.

Blake showered the three year old while Sun found her outfit and got her bed ready. Afterwards they lay together and read a bed-time story, this time it was Eric Carl's Very Hungry Caterpillar. Once Baise was safely off to bed, the two older faunus sat on the couch with Sun's specialty hot chocolate's in hand talking. This had become such a well oiled process that it could almost be called ritualistic.

Neither of them slept well that night, they were thinking about what Professor Ozpin had told them about the general.

* * *

General Ironwood stood quietly watching the surveillance footage handed to him by one of his best students. Once it had finished he spoke in his steady commanding voice. "I want to know more about this, I don't care how you get the information, just find out as much as you can. I will handle the formalities."

* * *

Five days passed without incident. Thankfully nothing new was taught in any of the classes the faunus duo had missed. Ooblek had just told them to do some private study, Port put his class to sleep with one of his stories, Peach just had a Q and A class, while Glinda had her class do a pop quiz while she did her own work.

It was a Saturday afternoon when the letter arrived. Sun was pushing Blaise on the swing he had attached to the tree outside of team RWBY's room when a courier ran up with a gold envelope in hands.

Blake had merely thanked the man and pocketed the letter before continuing to read. Sun was slightly worried but did not voice his concern, the little girl he was swinging was completely oblivious to the tension.

Latter that night once the three year old was safely asleep they opened the letter, slowly reading it's contents. It read:

_Dear Mrs. Belladonna_

_As a member of the prestigious team RWBY you have done a great deal of service to the people of Vale, your involvement in preventing the Breach did not go unnoticed. You show great potential as a huntress in training, and your additional work looking after a citizen affected by the constant war against the creatures of grimm. These factors have brought you to my attention and some of the officials from the Atlesian military are very interested to meet you._

_As such you are invited to come to the Vytal conference next Saturday along with several other note-worthy students. We also would very much like to meet your charge, so please bring her too. We will make accommodations to make sure she is comfortable._

_I look forward to seeing you._

_-General Ironwood_

Blake had expected an advance form the General but never expected to be asked to a high end party and important political conference.

Sun for once was at a loss for words, he was just scowling at the letter. Finally he found his voice "I don't like the Ironwood guy."

"Well we were told to expect an advance like this." Blake said with her usual emotionless tone.

The tension was so thick now you could cut it with a knife, that was when the door swung open and shattered the tension.

"How does that spineless coward keep winning? Even with all three of us working together to take him down!" Yang was furious at this point while Weiss and Ruby looked quite crafts-fallen.

It took only a second longer for the grim (Pun intended) atmosphere of the room to be noticed.

"Hey uh guys, what's up?" Yang by this point was rather uncomfortable.

Blake silently handed the letter to the brawler.

Once the three of them had read it over Yang handed it back, fuming.

"That General Ironwood sure has a lot of nerve trying to draw you out like that." The blond girl's eyes beginning to take on a reddish hue.

"We really are in no position to deny his offer either, not only him but military officials will be there. It is basically the same as refusing to report after a murder." Blake was not one for rainbows and sunshine, but even for her her the expression on her face was a bit dark.

"You're skating on thin ice accepting the invitation. Who knows what extent he will go to, to achieve his goal, hell even Glinda said that to him everything was a competition of measuring D." Weiss paused after almost ruining her perfect record for appropriate language. " You better have a plan."

"Actually I think I do. I never thought I would use the political strategies I learnt from the white fang during my time as a huntress." Blake said her face reforming into its usual stoic expression.

Soon after everyone went to bed, Sun even decided to forgo the customary hot chocolates.

* * *

The next day everyone continued to carry on like normal, only a little distracted. People would zone out of conversations, but the mood was not to be spoilt, it was a Sunday after all.

The girls went shopping leaving the boys to work on their secret project, (with the exception of Ren who got pulled along by Nora to carry her bags.)

At the shops they found a nice outfit for Baise to wear to the conference, they also bought ammo and an outfit for Blake that looked good but was sturdy and flexible enough for combat. The dress was Black with thin straps, the top was snug while the bottom had purple accents and came to knee length.

Once they returned Pyrrha offered to look after Baise while Weiss gave the older cat faunus a crash course in espionage, where she was equipped with both a under arm and boot scabbard for daggers, a poisoned hair pin, and a thigh gun holster (8 mm hand gun included).

While she had no intention of using any of her hidden arsenal Weiss pointed out it was better to be safe than sorry.

Her preparations done Blake began to change back into her normal gear, this was when the boys arrived. The door began to open and Blake slammed it closed, catching an unfortunate Jaune's fingers in it.

Once team JNPR's leader had been properly cut into by the resident ice queen for entering a girl's room without knocking, everyone congregated in the dining room for the strategy meeting.

"Two and a half hours of discussion and debate have resulted in the following plan." Said Jaune the elected chairman of the meeting.

"First off Blake will be bringing Sun under the pre-text of helping her look after Baise, they will attend the conference and the dance afterwards, it is most likely that General Ironwood will try and draw you guys to a private room to talk. Try and avoid this if possible but that is unlikely to succeed. Once he has you in that room he will broach the topic of your charge. We will have to play that part by ear, bribes and seduction will be his first method. If he tries to use threats, disregard them. If he goes to violence Yang and Nora will make a distraction with some hired muscle while Ren will infiltrate the party itself and assist your escape. You will also be briefed on your arsenal Ruby if you will."

Ruby stepped forward laying out some gear on the table. Pointing to a small dark purse she said "This here is the diamond, a ladies best friend. A seemingly ordinary purse but in reality a nasty bag of tricks, the coins found in the side pocket are actually flash grenades, just throw them at the ground and they will blow. This makeup kit are actually dust bombs: lipstick is Fire, Mascara is ice, and the foundation produces a ball of darkness. In this corner" she tipped the purse forward showing said corner, " Is a grappling hook attached to a retractable wire, this can be used as a chocker or as a climbing tool."

The next few items were just holsters and hidden knife scabbards that they both knew how to use. After that was Sun's ace in the hole. "This is a custom made hidden knife gauntlet, the knife slides out when you flick back your wrist, it can be used to get the first strike in on an unsuspecting enemy, as with all of your blades it is coated with extremely potent sleeping poison, so don't cut yourselves."

With that she stepped back everyone's attention returned to Jaune, "We will be talking to you through your microscopic ear-pieces the base of operations is going to be in team JNPR's room. Ok you are all dismissed... oh and Sun, try not to screw this up.

With the meeting over everyone returned to their own rooms for the rest of the day.

* * *

In team SSSN's room Neptune was tutoring his monkey partner on the talking side of things.

"Remember first impressions are vital, you need to come across as classy and quick. You need a good introduction... oh I know, when they ask your name say, 'the name's Kong, Sun Wukong."


	12. Chapter 12: From Atlas With Love

**Authour's Note: I hope you have that James Bond music ready because this one is going to be interesting. Also a little bit of fluffiness at the end to soften the landing. Hope you guys enjoy**

Chapter 12: From Atlas with Love

The week leading up to the conference was tense, Jaune couldn't sleep, he just kept pouring over the plan details. Blake was more frightened than she had been in a long time, Sun however was practically dying from anticipation. In the middle of it all was Baise blissfully unaware.

Finally the night of reckoning arrived team JNPR's room had been completely changed, the beds were stacked off to the side and the majority of the room was taken up by equipment, scanners radio wave tech decoders ect.

In the middle of the room on a raised platform Captain Jaune sat on his chair.

"Neptune, how did you even get all this stuff up here without anyone noticing?"

"Oh, I have my ways." was his simple response.

On Blake's side of things, she had just finished getting herself and Baise ready and was heading to team SSSN's room to find Sun. When she found him he was struggling to do up a tie, his shirt was wrinkled and he didn't even own a coat.

Sighing, Blake took initiative, she sat him down on his bed and told him to take off the shirt and badly done tie. She then promptly raided Neptune's closet, thankfully the two partners were about the same size because there was no way sun would have been allowed in looking like he did.

The easy going faunus was forced into neptune's shirt (after Blake had sneaked a look.) then she carefully did up the bow-tie and put on the jacket. Sun was allowed to arm himself concealing his personal weapons in his sleeves. With that they set off to the airfield.

A private airship awaited them, there was even drinks in the ship for the trip there. While Sun was tempted to take this opportunity to enjoy the high life, the strict cat faunus next to him stood as a voice of reason, he would need his wits to be as sharp as a razor tonight.

The ship docked against the huge carrier that the conference was to be held in. Awaiting their arrival was none other than the esteemed general himself. "Good evening Ms Belladonna it is lovely to meet you." he said offering his hand, once Blake had accepted it he lifted her hand to his lips lightly kissing her fingers.

At this Sun openly scowled, hadn't liked the general from the get-go, but this really pissed him off.

"I don't believe I have caught your name yet." Ironwood said turning to sun.

"Im Sun, Sun Wukong, Im helping Blake look after Baise." he said offering his hand. Sun silently swore to thank Neptune profusely for the lessons in proper conduct.

"Well then please follow me the conference will start in a few minutes." The general led them into the conference room not bothering to shake Sun's hand.

The faunus were seated towards the back of the conference room, Sun grew bored of the arguing adults and turned his attention to the child seated on Blake's lap.

* * *

About a quarter of the way into the conference, communications lines were brought up. "Ok can you guys here us?" Blake mmmhmed in confirmation. "Good Yang and Nora are in position and standing by. Ren has boarded the ship and is disguised as one of the waiters. We will keep an open feed from now-on."

The rest of the conference passed without a problem, but that was only the beginning. All the guests walked over to the ball room where food and drinks were being served. Almost immediately General Ironwood came over to see them, with him he brought a waiter with three champagne glasses and a bottle.

"Mss Belladonna, Mr Wukong would you care for a glass? We have the finest champagne from Atlas." He said upon arival.

The two faunus accepted out of politeness, Pyrrha advised that they drank as little as possible of the potent liquor.

"You are quite an able fighter Mrs Belladonna, pray where did you learn to fight so efficiently?" Ironwood said

Weiss's voice immediately came through the ear-piece. "He is trying to start an in-depth conversation about the combat schools, he will probably use that as leverage against you."

Upon being warned Blake used her usual excuse along with a little extra. "I was raised outside the kingdoms, If you can't fight you can't survive. I agree with my parents in thinking the combat schools tend to shield their students from the real world. I personally think experience with life or death situations are the best way to teach combat, the schools just can't replicate the rush of the battlefield."

"Ahh spoken like a true professional, the issue often comes down to parents and legal complaints I think. Over in atlas we have several schools that do excursions in low density grim zones." General Ironwood quickly adjusted to the tone of the conversation.

But Blake was not without her own countermeasures. "I found that I learn't the most shadowing Dr Ooblek as a team. And when I was young there would be two or three beginners following an older fighter those hunts where always the most memorable."

"I can understand that. oh the evening entertainment is about to begin, I think we have some dancers from Haven this evening."

This time it was Neptune giving advice. "Sun, be careful not to get distracted by the dancers, he is probably going to try and separate you two."

The wise sea-god's words fell on deff ears use, Sun was absolutely engrossed, not at all interested in the dancers but in Blake's gentle curves, he decided he liked that dress. He liked it alot

They stood for a while watching the dancers then the General whispered to the older cat faunus "It is a bit noisy in here, why don't we move a private room. "

Sun didn't need Blake to tap his foot to get his attention, he was entertaining Baise and quietly watching over the older faunus too. As they approached the door. Blake spoke up "I think it is quiet enough over here really why don't we stay here for the moment."

General Ironwood clearly didn't like the idea but agreed all the same.

This was when Ren appeared dressed like the other waiters, he had some smoked salmon and cream cheese on little crackers, Blaise smiled at these, he also had thankfully brought some water for the young faunus. Blake found it comforting that help was so nearby.

"You must find it difficult looking after a three year old and studying to become a huntress." Ironwood finally grew impatient and breached the subject of the child in her care.

Blake calmly said "Well it is not too much of a problem everyone is pitching in and doing their bit to help."

"Even so it must put a fair bit of unnecessary stress to your life, from what I heard you were only intending it to be a temporary solution while you looked for a better home for her."

"Yes but she is fitting in quite well in the dorms, we are considering holding onto her for a bit longer. There has been no problems with teaching her the basics that a parent would normally teach. She is a quick learner, arn't you." With this Blake took the girl in question from Sun.

Baise was uncomfortable under the commanding stare of the general choosing to hide her face in the older faunus's dark locks.

"What about her education? you voiced your opinion on the matter earlier, what do you intend to do?" The general was almost finished beating around the bush

"We were thinking it better for her to go to one of the nearby schools in vale, the trip down is not too far. We know that some of the teachers have their families up at Beacon and their children take a ship down to school." Blake recalled talking to Dr Oobleck about how his family was moving to beacon.

"Over in Atlas we have a early boarding school for elementry students where a passing mark ensures entry to a combat school and from there to my own school, it would certainly make things easier for you, especially since you would be going into your final years of training." As the General finished off his explanation of the school systems a waiter came over saying that his presence was requested by the council.

Once their host had excused himself the Sun visibly relaxed. After a few minutes of Sun complimenting his feline friend for her eloquent handling of the General a slow waltz began to start up.

Baise perked up at the sound of the music and after listening for a while shyly asked if she could dance. Upon hearing her request asked if she wanted to dance with him. The little girl nodded in agreement.

Sun lifted the three year old out of Blake's arms and set her feet down on his shoes, he gently held one hand while placing the other on his leg. He led with his right and slowly stepped through the dance with the grinning little faunus on his feet.

Blake had one of her rare moments (though they were becoming more frequent of late) where she showed emotion. She smiled at the happy looks on her companions' faces.

* * *

Sun also danced with Blake that night, unfortunately it was cut short by a waiter summoning them to the private room that the general was in.

This time there was nothing they could do to avoid the private room.

The break from wordplay with the Ironwood had given Blake a much needed chance to prepare her next counters. She couldn't use limited funding as leverage, he likely was willing to cover the fees himself.

The three faunus entered the private room quietly. The general was resting on a couch the faunus took their seat's in the one across from him.

"So Mss Belladonna what do you think about the boarding system I mentioned earlier." The General was getting strait to business.

"Well I have thought about that while I don't think she would struggle with grading but, she is quite shy, her gentle nature and faunus heritage would make her a likely target for social ridicule and bullying, I would feel safer knowing that she has some friends that I can trust before entering schooling." Blake never thought her time as a social outcast would be something to be glad for.

General Ironwood paused for a long moment the surprise in his eyes betraying his stone hard expression.

Sun couldn't hold back now, of all the little quips he had thought up during the ongoing word fight this was the best. "What's wrong General? Cat got your tongue?"

General Ironwood visually scowled at this comment, but replied calmly. "No I was just wondering why you conceder bullying a possibility, especially at such a prestigious academy?"

Blake was ready with her response, "Wether you know it or not faunus discrimination still happens on all levels of society, you may think otherwise but my personal experience is too much to ignore. Until that kind of pressure has gone I prefer to keep a close eye on Baise, the last thing we need is kids joining the white fang."

With that Blake pulled out her scroll and messaged Yang asking for a ride back. "I am sorry to cut our time short, but it is well past Baise's bed time."

"Blake you are a smart girl why do you throw away this opportunity for so much profit?" General Ironwood said standing.

Sun was already at the exit opening the door for his female companions. Jaune told him to do this so the audience prevented the general from trying to use force.

"Blake turned to him and said because I'm not in it for the profit."

Once the door closed Sun said "Jaune, Get Ren to come over and help us find the landing bay."

Soon enough Ren arrived and escorted them out of the ball room. In the hall there were some guards and waiters. Said troops asked where they were going.

Sun moved to the front assuming his dignified persona. "We are headed to the docking bay, we are going home for the night." As he spoke Sun walked forward slowly gesturing with his hands to the door behind the guards.

Everyone there knew that there would be conflict, so the mischievous monkey flicked back his wrist revealing his hidden blade. The sharp steel cut the guards arm, sleeping poison immediately took affect sending the guard to the ground.

Ren pulled out his pistol quickly shooting a second guard while Blake threw her boot knife into one of the waiters putting him to sleep as well.

The next guard fell victim to Sun's concealed pistol and the final waiter was taken out by a few well placed hits from the resident martial-artist.

Guns out the two boys lead the way while Blake worked to keep Baise calm. once they reached the docking bay the older cat faunus used her ice dust to freeze the door closed.

Yang arrived without a minute to spare flying up to the landing dock. The controls had been de-activated most likely from the bridge, meaning they couldn't use the magnetic connection system.

Sun thinking quickly pulled out the grapple hook from Blake's purse flinging it through the open door of Yang's drop ship. Using the wire to pull the ship closer Blake and Ren jumped into it (Biase was in the older girl's arms) then he jumped himself.

With everyone safely in Yang piloted the drop-ship away.

* * *

Once a course was set, Ren joined Yang and Nora in the front, leaving the three faunus with the main room to themselves. A few tense moments passed then gradually they began to relax. Blake sat down on the cushioned bench at the back and Sun sat next to her. The youngest faunus lay down on their laps, absolutely exhausted.

Half way through the flight Blake drifted off, her head gently plonking onto Sun's shoulder. Sun almost jumped, the stressful evening had clearly taken its toll, leaving him awake on his own. (Not that the cat faunus being awake would have made a difference to the amount of conversation.)

Sun looked down at the two sleeping cats. He remembered the day Blake brought Baise home, how they had both fallen asleep and he had kissed the older one on the fore-head.

He wished he could do that again but moving would make her fall, so instead he settled with stroking her hair between her cat ears. This action enlisted a response far grater than his earlier kiss.

It started as a gentle noise from the back of her throat then developed into a fully fledged purr. Sun was somewhat surprised, but curious began scratching her ears. Blake purred even louder, smiling and arching her back.

What came out of the black haired teen's mouth next surprised him most of all, "mmmhm Sun please mmmhm," She mumbled between purring. Sun was so surprised that he stopped petting her.

Sun's weary mind was trying to wrap itself around what had just happened when the engines began dying down and the ship came in to land.

Ren came back into the main room taking in the sight before him. Silently he picked the three year-old off the older fuanuss' laps without waking either of the sleeping cats. Sun didn't want to wake blake up, so he followed the other boy's example picking up his fellow faunus bridal style so he could carry her back to bed.

The encombered boys lead the way back to the dorms where the rest of the gang were waiting. Sun bypassed the grinning crowd, (catching a wink from Neptune) and went strait into team RWBY's room laying Blake on her bed.

Once the two girls were in bed everyone else gathered in the base of operations for the de-breif.

Jaune stood in front of the small group "Ladies, Gentlemen, Ice queen" "Hey!" "Tonight was a big victory for us, but just because we won a battle doesn't mean we have one the war. General Ironwood Is likely to make other advances, and we will handle them together. Now go enjoy your weekend, you've earned it."


	13. Chapter 13:Interlude

**Author's Note: Im uploading this chapter as the first half of next week's upload. Because... well you'll see in due time. Enjoy**

Chapter 13: Interlude

Sun leaned closer, his golden hair practically glowing in the setting sun. The two faunus were sitting together in a treehouse looking over beacon cliff to the emerald forest.

"Blake?"

"mmhm"

"Ever since we first met on the docks I have felt... content. For the first time ever I feel like the hole inside of me has been filled. Im not sure but I think... I think ... I love...

...

...

...

mmmmmmhmm

...

...

...

Blake woke with a start, her hiar was matted against her face and the dress she wore to the party now dreadfully crumpled. Being shocked into wakefulness by a lack of oxygen, was not what she thought, hoped it was. It was just her ever rebellious locks balling up in her mouth.

Judging by the sun streaming through the window it was mid-morning. With this in mind she picked herself off the bed and made her way to the ensuite. The shower quickly alleviated the quiet faunus of her sleep induced stupor.

Everyone else in the room woke and showered in turn, until everyone was up.

Breakfast at the cafeteria had ended some time ago, and hopes of waking the slothful Ren were zero so Blake took the mantle of chef, she cracked some eggs into a pan and added bacon, cheese and a dash of milk. While the scrambled eggs weren't the greatest in the world they were quite filling.

After breakfast the two faunus housed in team RWBY's dorm made their way to the dorms for the students visiting from haven. On their way they met Neptune who let them into the room occupied by team SSSN.

Inside was empty with the exeption of a mound of blankets whereon hid the subject of the visit. Blake knelt next to his bed not sure how to wake him. Baise though knew the best way, with a great leap the three year old jumped from the floor onto Sun.

Sun had a love-hate relationship with his sleep, it was great to be asleep but going off to sleep and waking up was a completely different matter. On this one occasion he didn't mind waking up because he was met by the two people that made him happy.

He tiredly smiled up at the girl who was now sitting on his chest, then turned to say good morning to the older dark haired girl.

* * *

Once up and ready Sun walked with Blake back to her dorm. Blake for once started the conversation. "Hey-uh Sun?" she started looking slightly uncomfortable. "Thanks for carrying me to my bed, It was really sweet of you."

This caught Sun completely off guard, "Oh uh... your welcome." He was thinking in his head 'Blake looks even cuter when she is embarrassed,' the whole walk back.

* * *

The rest of the day was wittled away by their usual routine, taking turns teaching Baise and studying. About mid-afternoon team JNPR decided to go spend some time out on the town, Blaise needed to be in bed by 6 but dinner was served at 7 in the cafeteria. This meant that the mantle of chef was for the second time that day placed on Blake's shoulders.

Blake decided that she would make one of her favourite childhood meals, tuna-morne. She rushed off to the library to find some recipe books.

It took her half an hour to find the right recipe, and the better part of two hours to actually make it. The effort she put into the meal was shown on the pleasantly surprised faces of the meal's attendants.

Baise was a girl after Blake's own heart, woofing down the fishy feast. Most just enjoyed the well cooked food at a slower pace.

Sun turned to the quiet girl who was slowly eating her own meal. "Geez Blake, you can really cook, this is beautiful." silently he added 'Almost as beautiful as you.'

Once dinner was finished and the plates had been cleared Sun stood at the head of the table with Neptune. "Look guys, well we have something we need to tell you. The students that came for the Vytal festival have stayed longer than usual this year. But tomorrow we are scheduled to return to haven." All of team RWBY looked disappointed and sad. "We just wanted to say thanks for being so good to us, we've really felt at home here. We are leaving early tomorow so I guess this is goodbye."

No one was quite sure what to say after that, even Yang was quite somber giving both the boys a squeeze and telling them to be safe. Ruby awkwardly said goodbye with a small wave. Blake hugged Sun and picked up Baise so she could say her fair wells.

At this point Weiss strait up broke into tears, she grabbed onto Neptune. Between sobs she managed to say, "I-I'll miss you so much *sniff, you promise to keep in contact ok?"

Neptune nodded his response, and with her simple message out of the way Weiss tilted back her head standing up on her tip-toes catching the unsuspecting sea god square on the lips.

The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur to team RWBY, the boys left and everyone got ready for an early bed time. Even after lights had been turned off occasional sniffles could be heard from Weiss's bunk.

Some time after being plunged into darkness Blake dared to let fall a single silent tear.


	14. Chapter 14: 'New' Students

**Author's Note: Here is the long awaited second half of this chapter. There is a warning in bold a little way through, please take note of this. I know there are some problems with the child's name, her name is Baise. I keep writing the wrong name because I am also writing about Blake and a person named Blaise. As you can imagine writing about three very similar names can get a little confusing, so please bare with me. Otherwise please enjoy.**

Chapter 14: "New" students

The shock of Sun and Neptune's sudden departure made everyone's morning more sluggish than usual. Breakfast tasted like ash and it felt like there was a hole that was slowly growing in Blake's chest. By the time first class begun the hole was so big it was just about to swallow up her heart too.

The unusual part about this first class was Dr Ooblek was not the only teacher to come in, Professor Goodwitch was also there. Upon reaching the front she addressed the class.

"Now today we have some transfer students. Normally we don't allow new students to come in the middle of the year but Professor Ozpin has made an exception. Boys you can come in now."

Blake had to do a double take as the four new students walked through the door.

"I believe you have already met these students over the Vytal festival so there is no need for introductions, boys you can go take your seats now."

All of team RWBY were gaping and Weiss turned on the tears again. Blake was joined by a Blond haired boy, while Weiss glopped her new blue haired companion. By this point Blake was trying very hard to hold back her own tears of joy. She thought that she wouldn't see him again until christmas break.

"Sun I thought you were gone!" Blake said once she had somewhat calmed down.

"Well the reason we told you we were leaving so late was we had been persuading the rest of the team to transfer hear." Sun said painting his signature smirk on. "It was my idea to trick you guys. I was using it as a way to make Neptune and Weiss's relationship public. Neptune agreed to the plan thinking I was doing it for a laugh."

"I hope you apologize to Weiss for playing such a mean joke on her, she was crying all last night."

Baise` then proceeded to climb over the older cat faunus to give Sun a hug. "Yay Big bro is back!"

"Yup, we've already moved into the dorm room down the hall."

* * *

**WARNING: There is some references to adult themes from here to the end of the chapter, if that is not your cup of tea please skip the rest of this chapter, don't worry nothing important happens.**

* * *

After classes had finished for the day (and a very emotional Weiss had regained some of her composure) Yang declared that a welcome party was in order. The only problem was they had no party supplies (Booze was vital to a good party according to the blond brawler). So it was postponed until the weekend.

Said weekend came around soon enough, The girls went on their usual shopping trip, picking up party supplies along the way. The night at hand was drawing near.

Just before the party Blake took her charge to team CFVY's room they had agreed to look after the little girl for the evening. Blake thanked co-co profusely for her generosity then returned to her dorm for the party. Team JNPR and RWBY were now all assembled.

Thus did team SSSN's welcome party begin. They started with a simple meal with a glass of red each (Sun had commandeered the bottles from the teacher's table.)

Then they sat around chatting, the girls got to know Scarlet and Sage a bit better. This was when Yang brought out the goods she picked up from 'a friend on the shady side of town.' 12 shot glasses, 2 bottles of Vodka, 3 bottles of Whisky, and a bottle of pre-made strawberry sunrise (little umbrella included).

This caused a bit of trouble, most of the boys were in for a few drinks, so was Ruby and Nora, Weiss was instantly opposed to the idea of hard alcohol, Blake, Pyrrha and Ren said nothing. Weiss was the only one to openly oppose the shots so majority ruled over her and the glasses were distributed.

Everyone drank their share of the Whisky at different rates, from Blake who took only small sips, to Yang who skulled the whole glass in one go. By the time Ruby had finished her drink, her face was rosy and she looked quite dizzy.

Sun mused about how different the two sisters were. Ruby could barely hold one drink, while Yang was completely unfazed by the strong drink.

Once Yang had finished off the Strawberry sunrise (all by herself) she produced one of the used wine bottles. Standing up the blond brawler put on her announcer voice and said "Ladies and gentlemen now for tonights main event: Spin the bottle!" with this she raised the empty wine bottle over her head showing it to everyone.

Ruby was not the only one feeling uncomfortable now, in fact anyone who was still sober, (not many people at all) was growing nervous.

Yang being the ring leader started off by explaining her rules "Ok the person who spins the bottle can ask the person it lands on any question, the person being questioned must answer truthfully, if they don't or don't answer then everyone votes on a punishment."

Weiss butted in at this point "I request reasonable demands."

Yang spoke over the top of her "I will act as the judge for the game and start by spinning the bottle."

She set down said bottle and spun it around. The first victim was Ruby Rose.

"Well sis do tell me, do you have a crush?" Yang was grinning like a Beowulf now.

The dark haired little girl's already potent blush deepened considerably. "uh no?" she said sheepishly.

The blond beauty wasn't buying it for a second. "aaaaaannnnnnnd punishment time, now what to choose... oh I know why don't you go take a shower sis!"

Ruby seemed rather relieved at such a light punishment, she got up and headed towards the other room

"And you can keep you cloths on the whole time no changing." Yang's vicious grin had returned once again, and Ruby's face fell.

Once Ruby's older sister was happy that she was properly soaked the game continued.

Ruby spun the bottle quickly, after a few agonizing moments it stopped, on Nora.

Said girl was even more hyper when she was drunk. Because of this she jumped up onto her chair crying "Im queen of the castle, Im queen of the castle."

A sodden Ruby rose to the challenge, pitching her question. "Nora! has anyone seen you getting changed?"

There were audible gasps from the audience. Nora however seemed unfazed "Ren and I get changed together all the time, he even helped me wash my back while I was in the bath once."

At this point Nora was basking in blissful ignorance. Ren however was sinking lower and lower into his seat, wishing that the floor would swallow him up.

Everyone was content with the hammer wielder's honesty, so the next round began. Nora spun the bottle, Landing it on an unfortunate sea god who's grin quickly disappeared.

The tyrannical valkyrie smiled in victory. " So Neptune how many girls have you kissed?"

"Um just one." He said calmly, until Scarlet called out from the other end of the table "lies all lies!"

And like that the second punishment session began. Nora declared the sentence not waiting for anyone else's input. "You have to touch, no grab! Weiss." as it happened the seemingly oblivious girl did know what she was doing.

The declaration was met with great cheers of enthusiasm. For once the suave sea god was cornered. Seeing no escape he turned to the snow angel and tentatively reached out as if asking for permission.

Weiss's response to this gesture was the most surprising part of all. She said blushing furiously "I-I guess it is alright if it is you."

Wishing nothing more than the ordeal to end Neptune reached out and gently squeezed Weiss before quickly withdrawing his hands to his side cheeks Flaming.

Yang took custody of the bottle now declaring that Neptune was unable to spin it himself.


	15. Chapter 15: Black on the Wind

**Author's Note: For this chapter I am trying a new spellcheck program, so we will see how it goes. The writing of this chapter isn't my best, I think there are some akward bits towards the end. At the same time though I love this chapter it has a really nice feel to it (and some fluff). Enjoy.**

Chapter 15: Black on the Wind

The morning after the party some people payed dearly for drinking too much, Blake however didn't have a hangover so she collected Baise from team CFVY and went about her normal business.

* * *

A week later the embarrassment from the party had worn out and everything was back to normal.

Sun joined Blake around mid-morning on Saturday. He sat on the table next to where she was working he waited for a bit before asking her, "Um well you seem to do really well with Dr Ooblek's class so I was wondering if you could give me a hand with the extra catchup work he gave me."

Blake was truly surprised to see her normally outgoing friend so embarrassed, she kept her thoughts to herself (something she was quite versed in) and moved her chair closer so she could help him.

It was about half-way through the assignment a knock came from the door. Blake got up to answer said door finding behind it none other than the assigner of Sun's extra work.

"Good morning Mss Belladonna!" He said in his usual coffee powered enthusiastic voice. "I have visited you today to pay you a... Visit! You see, as yo know my wife and son have come to live with me here at Beacon." At this Blake noticed a boy about Baise's age partly concealed behind the Dr's leg.

"This as I'm sure you have guessed is my son Zans, I came to ask you if you minded keeping an eye on him wile my wife and I move all our belongings in. To be honest he is quite shy and I think it would be good if he had a friend to play with."

Blake only picked up parts of his hasty speech but got the general idea. "Right... alright then." She stepped aside letting the hyper Doctor in.

Said teacher took his son's hand and with surprising gentleness lead him in. Sun then picked Baise up from her seat next to him and set her on the floor near the older cat faunus.

It took a little time for Zans to come out from behind his father's leg. Said man then lent down and told him he will be spending some time playing here. Once the boy understood he let go of him and thanked the two older faunus before racing off again.

Blake kneeled down next to the shy boy and spoke gently "Hello, Your Zans right?" the boy nodded once in response. Im Blake, that there is Sun and this is Baise." She gently lead the younger faunus forward.

Turning to her charge she said. "Why don't you two spend some time getting to know each other."

Blake got herself up and returned to the smirking Monkey seated at the table. "You sound like my mom when we had family friends over."

The dark haired girl stayed silent and just gave her one of her infamous funny looks.

"You know, I think you... no we all have changed allot over the last few weeks. I like the nice caring side of you that Baise brings out." Sun's smile turned slightly wistful.

Blake now spoke up, her voice not her usual monotone but that special tone that she only used for him. "And I like the overprotective and doting side that she brings out in you."

Before they realized what was happening they began leaning in, slowly, slowly being consumed by the moment. They were only an inch apart when the moment was spectacularly shattered, along with Weiss's favorite painting of Forever Fall.

The two faunus jumped and ran to the other room. The frame was in pieces the painting shredded and two dazed little kids sat on the floor thankfully out of harm's way.

Each of the children held a wooden sword explaining the cause of the problem. Sun expected Blake to be worried, or cross anything but how she responded. Peals of laughter came from her lips chiming around the room, it was one of the most refreshing things he had ever heard. It wasn't long until he was laughing too, the children joined in after that.

Once his bouts of mirth had been exhausted Sun said, I guess this gives us a good reason to go outside, I was tired of study anyway. The four left the rooms leaving the mess to the others.

Outside it was sunny and there was a nice breeze, even Blake had to admit that it was pleasant. The two children ran ahead of their care-takers. It was rare to see Baise this open, she was very much like Blake in that regard. The two shy children seemed to take an instant liking to each-other.

Blake was talking to Sun as they walked along behind the happy children.

"The teachers we had back at Haven were really boring compared to the ones here. I mean like with Professor Peach we haven't had a single similar lesson."

Blake stayed quiet as usual, but this silence was comfortable rather than irritable. When they reached the edge of a big fountain, they sat down on the grass and let the children play.

"Thank you." Blake said softly.

"What for?"

"For looking out for me, your always looking after me: when I ran away, and at the dance, and when I found Baise, and when I was dealing with General Ironwood. You have been so good to me. You keep helping me and I can't pay you back for you kindness fast enough."

"I think you have it the wrong way around. The time I have spent with you is the happiest moments in my life. I guess what I am trying to say is... you gave me a purpose. I have just sort of drifted through life helped along by my friends but you, you ... ... make me want to work hard, and do my best. What you have given me in these last few weeks is priceless."

Blake smiled and lent her head on his strong shoulder. Sun in turn slung his arm around her resting it on her head. He teased the bow hiding her ears until it came undone blowing away in the wind.

The two lay back on the grass they had been sitting on, Blake moving her head to rest on her companion's chest. His hand began scratching the base of her ear, the ensuing rumble from the back of her throat was like music to his ears.

As he continued to pet her she slowly arched her back turning to nuzzle into his chest. They stayed like that for quite a while laying together, only getting up when the sun rose over the trees that were shading them from its bright rays.

The two children were playing near the fountain ganging up on a poor unsuspecting tree. Sun ran over to the them scooping up a branch as he ran. He had left something behind when he went.

It was a Book with a note on the cover reading 'enjoy'. Blake removed the note and looked at the cover. 'Rogues of Love' it was the sequel of her all time favorite book: Ninja's of Love.

She had no clue how he knew she liked the series, and right now she didn't care. She sat under the nearest tree and opened up the book. It was brilliant the opening instantly drew her in.

Blake didn't get fully engrossed with the book because every now and again she would look up at the other faunus and every time she did a small smile would tug at the corners of her mouth.

* * *

They stayed out in the gardens until the sun reached it's zenith, the three combatants waked up to where Blake was seated with growling stomachs. She looked up hearing the noise, "I think it might be time for lunch."

Everyone else was still out when they returned to the room, so Sun was sent to clean up the shattered glass from the broken picture frame while Blake made sandwiches for the four of them.

Between lunch and the time Dr Ooblek was set to return at, the two older faunus achieved a grand total of 0 assignments finished, or even started for that matter.

They talked for a while before the coffee powered Dr returned to his own quarters with son in tow. It wasn't long after that when the others returned, the clamor they brought with them meant that doing any work was impossible.

By the end of the day almost nothing productive was achieved (Except Sun finally got Blake to open up to him a bit... a lot more).

* * *

Two weeks passed without incident (Other than Weiss trying to cut off Sun's head for destroying her favorite painting.)

Through-out that time there were several more visits from the Ooblek family, they had even been invited over for dinner one night. One problem that did come up is over these two weeks was Baise's health.

The young fuanus was slowly growing weaker, she didn't run as much and grew even more quiet and reserved than before. At first they barely noticed it, but as the days went on it became more and more prominent.

At the end of the last week Ruby announced she had a visitor coming for dinner. When said visitor arrived the gang was introduced to Ruby's friend from the forge.

He introduced himself as Celebrimbor the enchanter. As it turned out his semblance was like Weiss's glyphs except it was a permanent passive effect. He was almost as adamant about weapons as Ruby, happily talking in depth about durability enchantments, strength enchantments and so on.

Baise left for bed part way through the meal saying she felt dizzy. Everyone went on talking, leaving Sun and Blake to handle the three year old. It wasn't till after eating that anyone discovered Baise's high fever. Ruby had lead her friend into the other room to show him some schematics, when he noticed the little girl red faced and sweating.

Immediately he rushed over to her side, feeling her burning forehead then pulling off her covers. By this time some of the others came into the bedroom to find out what the commotion was about.

They all stood witness to the angry rashes and raw skin that patched Baise's petite limbs. Celebrimbor quickly opened the panting girl's mouth looking down her throat. Then he spoke up.

"She has Taijitu Fever. It is common but rarely reaches this level. How long has she been sick?" He said donning a very clinical discourse.

Blake spoke up instantly, worry thick in her voice. "Only tonight."

The enchanter's eyes widened. "I've never seen a case develop this quickly! I think I have some medicine that can help." He reached into his pouch producing several bottles, he poured some ground herbs into a small glass container filled with a clear viscus liquid.

Once the medicine had been mixed he poured it down the limp girl's throat, forcing her swallow reflex. Mere minutes after drinking the potion Baise stopped sweating and panting, some of the rashes began to settle too.

Celebrimbor lead everyone into the other room shutting the door behind him. He sat at the end of the table with a grim expression and said "Well there are several reasons I can think of as to why that girl's fever rose so quickly. . . and none of them leave much room for hope." By this point worried faces surrounded the table, but no-one spoke a word.

The enchanter continued explaining. "I have a Phd in medicine and I only know a small number of things that can cause a jump in condition this big. First of all, and most likely is Hereditary Human immunodeficiency Virus, H.I.V. This is where her immune system is completely compromised, the prerequisite for A.I.D.S. Other than that is Cancer, Or a type of Diabetic condition where the immune system attacks itself.

There was a Pregnant pause before Celebrimbor finally added...


	16. Chapter 16: OADS to joy

**Author's Note: This chapter is a bit of a filler I apologise for that. The next chapter however is the big finale, so get exited. **

Chapter 16: O.A.D.S to joy

There was a Pregnant pause before Celebrimbor finally added "For an adult I might also suggest Overactive Aura Immunodeficiency Syndrome, but that only accounts for people with released auras that are way higher than the norm."

The atmosphere of the room changed almost instantly. Blake gave Ruby a questioning glance and she nodded.

Sun spoke up now "You can't speak of this outside this room ok. Baise's aura is released, she has more aura than anyone has ever seen before."

The the enchanter seemed skeptical but he said, I can read people's aura levels so ill check.

His jaw dropped, he was touching the prone girl's forehead and absolutely dumbstruck.

"Her aura reading is... is... well exponential. O.A.I.D.S is definitely the cause as well."

"There is no way to permanently cure it but I do have access to a countermeasure." He lifted up his hand displaying a translucent silver crystal mounted on a ring.

"This is a device of my own design. It uses empty dust crystals as storage systems for aura, one crystal can hold up to 100 000 times the average person's aura. The ring part is a conduit for the aura as well as a regulator for the percentage of aura that is kept in the body. By reducing her aura by 30% we can essentially cure her."

Everyone in the room visibly relaxed.

"Bring her to the forge tomorrow morning and I will bind a empty dust crystal to her."

Sun slept in team RWBY's room that night, on the floor next to Baise's bed. Well for the first part of the night, but it was cold so after an hour of shivering Blake took pity on the cold monkey and pulled him into bed with her.

...

The next morning, once everyone had eaten the party set off to the forge. Ruby and Celebrimbor were already there waiting. In the middle of the room was a large circle that closely resembled one of Weiss's glyphs.

"We should get this done quickly, set Baise down in that small circle opposite me." Once the girl was sitting in the indicated circle he placed a shadow dust crystal in another circle as well as a clear crystal pyramid in the centre of the large circle.

Once this was done he sat in a third small circle forming a triangle around the pyramid. He began fiddling with his ring causing his aura to flare. With the preparations complete the ritual began, channeling his aura the enchanter activated Baise's drawing shadows out from beneath her.

Next was the dust he too drew the shadow energy from it congregating all three energy sources in the centre around the crystal pyramid. The darkness began too seep into it changing it into a translucent black gem.

The ritual finished as quickly as it started with the dust shattering and the two people slumping over. But the aim was achieved in the form of a aura conduit. Once Celebrimbor had recovered, he fixed the dark crystal (considerably smaller than it once was) to a ring and gave it to Blake.

"When Baise wakes up again give this to her, it will keep her aura at 70% of it's max at all times. Unless it runs out of charge or is overcharged, both highly unlikely."

Once they had appropriately thanked the enchanter the gang left for their rooms.

Over the next week Baise slowly got better returning to her usual self. She often stayed over with the Ooblek's giving Sun and Blake a chance to finish off the first set of assessment for the term.

...

When the weekend came around things once again got interesting, the three faunus were once again in Vale's market district walking along the harbor.

A slight movement caught Sun's sharp eye, the last thing they needed was another run in with some thugs. He turned to get a better look only to be swept off his feet, Just in time for a razor shard of Ice to fly an inch above his beautiful hair.

Blake drew her sword, a man wearing some light armor and armed with a collapsible casting staff had managed to sneak up behind them. Transitioning gambol shroud into its pistol form she fired off three rounds.

The hooded assailant banged his staff into the ground forming a barrier of ice, then proceeded to give the wall a second use sending shards of ice at his opponent. It was Baise's turn to step in now, a wall of shadow rose up consuming the ice. Blake used this opportunity to sneak onto the nearby roof.

She jumped down striking with her Katana. The swing was hard and her blade sharp, slashing clean through the staff thrown up in a desperate attempt to block.

Disarmed the mage began throwing ice spikes from his palm. Blake merely activated her semblance letting the attacks pass through harmless dummies. The mage back peddled frantically, only serving to fall back into the harbor.

Sun was also doing battle, a man in a hood was facing him in hand to hand combat, and fairing well. Sun would punch, he would dodge, he would punch, and Sun would parry, Sun would counter striking one of the many soft spots, rinse and repeat.

After several lost bouts Sun's opponent pulled out the ace up his sleeve, literally. The thrown card drew a deep gash into the monkey's shoulder. The next card was aimed at the neck but was interrupted by Gambol Shroud, Blake used her blade to deflect the projectile.

Needles of darkness finished the to be assassin shattering his aura and casting him to the ground. This time Baise barely broke a sweat, she was getting better at controlling her aura.

The next problem was Sun, he was having so much fun slowly whittling away his opponent. His opponent's surprise gamble ruined his good mood. Oh and there was also the matter of his dismembered shoulder, but that was no big deal right?

With the two attackers out for the count Blake knelt over the card thrower. Sun quickly bandaged the cut and pretended like it didn't hurt. After all today was one of the few chances the three had to spend together alone, he didn't want to ruin it.

Blake turned up two things of interest: a deck of cards, and a voice message on the attacker's scroll. Sun pocketed the cards before listening to the message. It was from General Ironwood.

'I want you two to test their strength, don't actually try to beat them, but don't loose either. I want to know exactly how powerful this girl is!'

The sinister message from General Ironwood certainly put a damper on the day, but Sun wouldn't let that ruin Baise's mood. They visited Blake and Sun's regular cafe for morning tea, then visited Blake's favorite book shop.

Sun waited at the counter while the two girls found some new bed-time stories. The shop owner was a thin old man, he had that nice old person vibe to him, and a wicked sense of humor. Sun had only met him once before, and boy could this guy speak his language.

Said book shop owner leant on the counter next to the monkey faunus. He spoke in slightly hushed tones. "It is good to see Blake has finally found a nice guy to look out for her."

Sun raised a questioning eyebrow but remained silent. "She has been coming here since she was just a little girl, her favorites were always romance books. But lately she hasn't been reading them as much. Next thing I know she is carrying around a little girl that looks just like her, then you join in. I've met a lot of different people in my life but anyone with a sense of humor like your's have been bad people. But I ask how serious are you about Blake?"

Sun paused for a moment to catch up with the old man's rambling speech.. "Well, Uh Blake is... I've dated a lot of girls in my time, but... but I've never seen any of them as anything special. Blake, she ... When Im around her I feel complete, like the hole in my chest, in my heart has finally been filled. I feel comfortable and content when she is with me. I just ... I think ... I want to stay with her, no matter what, even if her throne crumbles and her brilliant crown turns to rust, even if the world is ending around us. I want to stay with her to the very end."

The wizened old man, grinned when Sun finished stumbling over himself to find the right answer. " That is exactly what I wanted to hear, I bet that is exactly what she wants to hear too. That girl has been through a lot in her life, she is kind of like the daughter I never had. Please look after her, lest she completely loose faith in humanity. Here, a little gift to help you along your way." The book shop owner handed Sun something before walking away cackling.

In Sun's hands was a small brown covered book that read 'Sex, a guide of where to explore and where to never go.' The monkey faunus cursed looking up at the retreating back of the culprit. "That son of a gun! always gets the last laugh."

...

That evening while the Blake and Baise were in the bathroom, Sun undid his hastily applied bandage. His shoulder had been able to function alright, and his aura should have mostly healed it. To be frank it was a miracle his shirt hadn't been soaked in blood when he first received thee cut.

The cut was deeper than he had realized, blood was already starting to pour out of the open wound. Being a battle hardened warrior the sight of his shoulder didn't faze him. The blood that he was loosing at an alarming rate though did make him feel

a little

light

headed.

Thunk

Blake heard the dull sound from the ensuite. She just started getting dressed. When she called for Sun, he didn't answer starting to get a little worried she wrapped her towel around herself before looking around the door. The monkey faunus was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the floor.

The dark haired girl panicked, she rushed out abandoning her meagre cover to help him. He was still breathing and his eyes were flickering behind heavy lids. In no time flat she grabbed some bandages and began wrapping up his shoulder. Once she was sure he was safe she dialed the rest of team RWBY.

"Help you guys Sun has just fallen over and is bleeding everywhere."

Weiss cut in "Where are you then?"

"The dorm!"

Ruby took charge now "Ok Cel and I are nearby we will be there in a sec, Weiss, Yang you two be on standby.

Now that the adrenaline rush had run it's course the cat faunus began to think strait again. She realized a few things: 1, she was wearing next to nothing. 2, Baise was still in the bathroom waiting for her to get the hair brush. 3 her feet were covered in blood. 4, for whatever reason Sun's aura had failed to protect and heal him.

She quickly addressed the first three of her problems. Only just putting Baise in the other room when the panting duo arrived. Celebrimbor pulled out his bag and began working immediately. First checking aura levels, next pulse.

Once he was satisfied that the monkey's life was not in danger he pulled out a Ice dust crystal. Applying the cold energy to the cut he gradually froze the flesh around the wound. Removing the bandages the young doctor inspected the cut.

"How did he get this?"

"he was fighting someone and the guy threw a card."

"what did the cards look like can you describe them."

"Sun has some in his pocket."

Celebrimbor pulled out the cards inspecting their sharp edges.

"These have been poisoned, a toxin designed to negate the effects of aura. He'll be ok. The wound just needs to be washed out, and he needs some sleep."


	17. Chapter 17: Giving Meaning Words

**Author's Note: Right here we have it the grand finale... for now. After this chapter I am going to take a short Hiatus to figure out the shape of the next arc. I have taken note of the reviews you guys are making and have realised that the character of celebrimbor is a little OP so I am going to tone him back a bit from a Dr. to just an exeptional nerd. This chapter is comming out early because I have a camping trip over the weekend. After this it will be back to the reguar release schedual. I hope you enjoy this soft and fluffy landing.**

Chapter 17: Giving Meaning Words

Sun woke up to rays of light gently dancing across his eyelids. He was tucked into warm sheets and lying on his back. More importantly there was someone curled up against him. Her head was nestled into his arm and she was purring softly in her sleep.

Blake had opened up to him before, but only when they were by themselves or with Baise. Never had she shown public displays of affection. The happy monkey lay there for a while longer, not wanting to wake the dark haired girl. In that time Yang had tumbled out of bed to get changed and leave somewhere, only pausing to give her fellow blond a sly wink.

The time Sun had laying there gave him a chance to reflect on everything that had been happening over the last few weeks. They had been very hectic in hind sight, juggling Baise and schoolwork was stressful enough as it was. Throw in everything else too, it was surprising neither Blake or himself had snapped under the pressure. She really was amazing that girl. Thankfully they would have a chance to rest now, at least until the schoolwork began ramping up again for the end of the year.

Ruby now clambered out of bed and removed Weiss from the room too. leaving Blake and Sun to themselves. The monkey continued reflecting but focused on the girl lying next to him. Blake... she has been working so hard, perfect marks at school and still has time to play with Baise. He really ought to reward her. A day off, go to her favorite book store and buy her a bunch of books, take her out to dinner. Then take her to that place, the perfect place for her.

The two faunus continued to lie there until a small black cat demanded their attention. Baise climbed up into bed with them and slid into the covers between them. Blake groggily opened her eyes starting to take in her surroundings. First she checked that her team-mates were out, then looked at the two others she shared a bed with.

"Good morning," Sun said with a cheery smile.

"Morning."

The three were inclined to stay in bed for a while longer, but growling stomachs dictated otherwise. Sun made some toast while the two women showered. After breakfast they met up with the others for a day of training and study.

That evening though Sun began preparations, he dug into his savings making sure he had enough money to get by.

* * *

By the time Friday evening rolled around Sun had made all the appropriate preparations. Tomorrow was the big day.

Sun rolled out of bed at 5:00 am. He quickly showered and changed, then began moving. First: Baise, Sun gently woke up the sleeping child leading her to team JNPR's room. Sun had persuaded Jaune and Pyrrha to look after the little girl for the day.

As the monkey faunus exited the room RWY walked out, still looking a little groggy but willing to comply with Sun's request. After all they were being heavily compensated.

The next task was tidying. He silently straitened both of team RWBY's rooms so that they looked immaculate. Food came next. Sun made some poached (both literal meanings) eggs with smoked salmon slices and creamed cheese on english muffins.

Finally the dangerous bit, waking the sleeping panther. Sun lowered himself onto the bed next to the dark haired girl. He gently pulled off her bow and began caressing her soft ears.

"mmmmmhmhmmm."

What started out as a groan quickly became a purr of pleasure. The cat arched her back and rolled over onto her stomach.

Sun took the golden opportunity and began massaging her shoulders. He worked back and forth pushing the knots out of her tight muscles. Slowly he worked down her back, then moved to her legs, then arms, then finishing by carefully massaging all ten of her digits.

He stood up upon completion and Blake turned to him.

"What was that for?"

"No reason really. Breakfast is ready by the way."

Breakfast was served to Blake in bed upon a silver platter. There was tea to go with it and everything. Blake was given a chance to shower and change while Sun dealt with the dishes. They left the room as it was and under the monkey's guidance headed towards a waiting airship.

* * *

Down in vale the members of team RWBY and SSSN (minus the two faunus) where preparing for Sun's plan. The cinemas was the first part, Sun had lined up tickets to 'Ninjas of Love the movie.' (not staring Bruce Willas). It was a very Romeo and Juliet esc movie, but it had a happy ending. Blake was wondering why Sun was doing all this for her but kept silent. She knew the truth would come out eventually.

They had an early lunch at their usual cafe. Sun ordered her favorite drink for both of them. But she didn't mind sharing the large glass that was brought out.

"This cafe has a lot of memories in it." Blake said looking off into the distance.

"I know right, this was the place you first talked to me."

"You looked after me for a whole weekend, it was really cool of you. Taking care of a complete stranger."

"Says Mrs picking up homeless children and basically adopting them."

"Hey she was a special case, and Im kind of responsible too. If we had stopped the train allot of faunus wouldn't have died."

"Don't beat yourself up about something that was out of your control. This is your day to relax and get away from all this drama."

"Thanks..."

"Hey Im just happy you stopped giving me those funny looks ... or not."

Both of the faunus laughed at that. After lunch they left without paying and the white and blue haired couple removed their disguises. The white haired girl payed for the faunus's meal.

It didn't take long for the couple to find themselves in front of Blake's favorite book shop again. Inside it was deserted apart from the owner in the back room. In Blake's reading corner was a big comfy sofa waiting with a coffee table. Splayed over the tabletop was a selection of Blake's favorite books and some new books of a similar nature. The icing on the cake was two hot chocolates sitting in the centre on cork coasters.

Blake's jaw dropped, a dark comfortable corner to sit in with a hot chocolate and book. She quickly found a comfortable spot to curl up against Sun and picked up the first book. The only problem was without their discarded coats the winter air was harsh on their skin. The monkey faunus came to the rescue with a comforting arm and warm blanket to wrap around her. The two stayed there until the sky began to grow dark. Blake had somehow managed to finish two whole books in that time.

Upon exiting the bookshop Sun lead the raven haired faunus down the street. They entered a small dress shop where a fine selection of black and purple dresses were housed. Upon Sun's prompt she went to find one she would like to wear.

The dress that she settled on wasn't too flashy, it ran all the way to her ankles with a slit that ran up the right side. It also had a high neckline and veiled sleeves. Once again Sun encouraged her to try it on. While she was in the changing room he too entered a cubicle changing into the suit that awaited him.

Once outside Blake gave her companion a questioning look, to witch he just replied with a smirk. He waved her over and lead her out of the shop,

"What about my other clothes, or buying the dress. We cant just walk out!" she reasoned.

"Don't worry about it, I have everything covered." He said a smirk now permanently painted onto his face.

Without any more hesitation the couple made their way to the docks, where a small dining ship waited. Once on the boat the cat faunus realized that they were the only guests there. It was too late to turn back though, the dining ship had already set out into the harbor.

The two faunus gazed out at the light filled city while they ate their dinner. Rich meats and colorful salads were all served in the form of a 5 course meal. The main course of thick steak marinade with onion and blue cheese was also accompanied by a bottle of red. As the meal came to a close the conversation was interrupted by an ear splitting crack.

Bright colors painted the sky on the other side of the harbor. The next 10 minutes was occupied by a breathtaking fireworks display. Once it was finished Blake spoke up again.

"I hardly think that was a coincidence."

"You would be right to assume I had something to do with that yes."

"What is this all about, you have spent the whole day doting on me."

Sun smiled "What day is it today?"

"Um the 24th?"

"And what is on the 24th?"

"umm what?"

Sun just chuckled "It is mothers day!"

"But i'm not a mother."

"Well you might as well be the way you look after Baise."

"So you did all this for me, because it is mothers day?"

"Do I need any other reason to?"

She laughed "Sun you can be really sweet sometimes."

"Yeh well you really deserve it."

"Thanks."

They finished the meal and the boat docked again. Sun once again took the lead weaving in and out of streets until they reached the Vale cross continental transmit tower. Sun went to the side of the building where he placed his scroll against a terminal. the doors opened up to a elevator.

Up the tower they came to a maintenance landing but the monkey didn't stop, he went up a flight of stairs and heaved himself up onto the very top of the tower. Blake nimbly joined him.

For a few silent moments they took in their surroundings. The city sprawled out around them like a frozen sea of light and darkness. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle rustling of the wind.

The cold breeze was starting to make Blake shiver so Sun pulled her into his side sharing his body heat.

"You know." He said "We have been like this for a long time now."

"Like what."

"Like a real family. You me and Baise, it feels so right, so fulfilling."

"I know what you mean."

"And through all this craziness I have been feeling something I've never felt before. I think ..." He turned to the girl in question now. "Blake I think I love you." He said these words with such conviction that it made her heart want to burst.

"I love you t..."

Sun swept her up into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back. They stayed there for what seemed an age as if the whole world had stopped to look.

Sun now quoted a line from 'Ninjas of love "And now we can forever stay as besotted with each-other as the day we first met."

"Forever and a day yet my love for you will never waver."

* * *

Later that night once both faunus had changed into their sleepwear they climbed into bed and slept together. Two entwined souls dancing to the song of love.


	18. Chapter 18: Put to the Test

**Author's Note: Im back and so is Cat's Quarters. It took me a while to make up my mind on the way this next few chapters would go, so there might be a few holes in them. I am also adding some new OCs I apreciate the feedback on my original and am trying it out again. Enjoy.**

Chapter 18: Put to the test

Blake knew she was dreaming, that night had been too good to be true. The murky edges to her vision were also a telltale sign of her lucid state. But then she heard a voice. "Mommy, daddy wake up!" Blake thought it sounded just like Baise.

She felt the movement of a warm body beside her then cold hands on her arm. This finally pulled her to the surface. Baise was standing at the edge of her bed. Sun was also lying next to her.

Then it all came rushing back. Yesterday wasn't a dream, it had happened and Sun was here. Baise now climbed up onto the bed and snuggled in between her two foster parents. Sun was also starting to surface.

"Mommy?" The little girl said again. Once Blake had registered that the three year-old was talking to her hummed her response.

"Happy Mommies day, I made a pwesent for you!" The little girl held out a little folded paper box bound by a ribbon.

"Wow that is very sweet of you." she said, accepting the box. There was a little card attached that read in Pyrrha's curvy handwriting:

To mommy

I love you very much.

Inside the box was a locket on a chain. In the locket was a picture of the three of them-smiling together.

"Auntie pi-ra helped make it!"

"Wow it's lovely. Thank You."

The three spent the rest of the day together as a family.

* * *

It was several weeks later and the end of semester 2 was fast approaching Assignment week was coming up. Assignment week was infamous for all-nighters and strenuous testing. At the end the final assessment was a weekend long camping/survival trip. The worst part was this infamous week's name-sake all the major assignments and reports were due that week. For the final year students,

It was referred to as shut down, no classes or free periods just assessment all day every day for the whole week.

Thankfully Blake didn't have to endure shut down... yet. But juggling Baise and assignments would prove challenging enough.

Assignment week:

Monday: Blake and Sun hunkered down for a last minute dash on Dr Ooblek's research task. They left Baise in the not so capable hands of Yang ... who decided that using her laser pointer on the three year old was more important than finishing her history.

Tuesday: Yang punched a hole in the library wall.

Wednesday: Mrs Ooblek offered to take care of Baise for the afternoon. This allowed the faunus couple to study for their field medicine test and finish off their grimm studies assignment.

Thursday: Final day of testing. Once they had finished class for the day everyone wanted to just drop into bed. But they still had to pack and prepare for their weekend camping trip... To top it all off Baise had to tag along. Why you ask? well that is the exact question the gang asked when Professor Ozpin walked up to them and said so. They never got a response.

* * *

The assignment this year was carried out in battalions. Each battalion was made up of four teams. The task was to form a base of operations and clear out grim in the surrounding area.

Each team was assigned a role for one day then they would rotate. 1: The garrison, in charge of making and maintaining base of operations. 2: Support, communications and medics. 3: Scouts, mapping and information on grim density. 4: Strike force, clearing the grim in a designated quadrant.

Each team would be marked on their ability to fulfill all the roles. Baise would stay with the garrison that way she was out of harm's way.

It didn't take long to pack. They didn't need any spare clothes, just a tarp each, sleeping matts and bags, ammunition/weapon maintenance and first aid. Everything else would be in the drop ship.

* * *

The next morning all the first year students gathered in the auditorium for a speech from the headmaster. As per usual he was wielding his coffee mug very skillfully.

"Today you gather for the largest assessment this year, it will test and teach skills learnt in all of your classes. As you know you will be broken up into battalions and dropped into a number of key points outside the city. As I am sure some of you have figured out this task will take longer than the usual three days. For some it may take up to a week. Some will be near villages while others will not encounter any signs of civilization. You will be put under life threatening circumstances and just like all practical tests if you cannot deal with them, you will die."

With these uplifting words he stepped away from the mic and Glinda took his place.

"The assigned battalions have been hand picked by your teachers, so you will find them suitable. They are displayed on the screens around the room. Once you have all four teams you may move on to the assigned drop ship."

Team RWBY with Baise in tow made their way to the side screens. Their battalion was named JSRC (JEY-SARK). It comprised of teams JNPR, SSSN, RWBY, and CHEK.

Yang stepped forward "Who is team check?"

Ruby piped up "oh that's Cel's teem!"

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Said the enchanter in question. "Looks like we are in the same battalion."

"Yeh!"

The other two teams arrived now calling their greetings.

"I suppose this is a good time to introduce the rest of my team." He said.

He pointed to a average sized katana wielder who also had two revolvers holstered on the same hip. "This Is Heathcliff, our scout and heavy hitter." The boy raised his hand in a loose salute. "Please don't mistake me for a racist because of my sense of humor, I'll have you know I hate everyone equally."

Next was a short and extremely thin girl with toned skin and slanted almond shaped eyes. "This is Ezdeth, she is our battle mage." The girl waved her hand timidly.

Last of all was a short girl, about the same perimeters as Nora. "Finally, this is Kelsey, support mage and academic genius. She also waved quietly, but there was an air of confidence about her.

Each of the members of RWBY, JNPR, and SSSN also introduced themselves in turn,

Ruby now stepped to the fore-front taking charge. "Right, now that we all know each other Lets go, We are headed... south! lets go"

Without any further delay the four teams headed to their assigned dropper ship. The trip to their assigned drop off point was 4 hours so they had plenty of time to look over their assigned equipment.

Baise sat with Blake off to the side while the others looked over and distributed the gear. There was food, water, several large tarps, small hunting knives and a hatchet.

Next was a perusal of the map. they would be dropped in between two ridges, the area was pretty heavily forested and the ridges were roughly perpendicular. They deduced the best place to camp would be on the peak of the hill, where the ridges met.

That was when one of the pilots came in. He said "We are almost there. Also I should warn you guys, this hill is known as the missing hill. There is something about that place that screws with electronics and make planes crash."

With those grim (once again pun intended) words the gang were dropped off, along with their supply crates, and support beams to carry said crates.

The weight was distributed between the boys, while the girls were charged with dealing with any threats. Baise however was having a whale of a time from her perch on top of one of the crates.

They made their way towards the peek of the hill. Some time latter the terrain began to incline quite severely. The other thing that happened was everyones scrolls began buzzing and glitching out.

Celebrimbor signalled for everyone to stop and put down the supply crates. He took out his scroll and a compass. The red needle pointed directly towards the crest of the hill despite it being south.

"This is just a hunch, but I think that this whole technological grey zone is because of a magnetic field… Hey Pyrrha, your semblance is polarity no?"

"It is." The spartan said.

"Try extending your power to the top of this hill."

The girl was confused but did as directed. As soon as she did the compass jumped back to the right direction and their scrolls stopped buzzing. "I think there is something up there." She said somewhat surprised.

The group set out again at double time. By noon they neared the crest of the hill where the two ridges crossed.

Once again they stopped, on the enchanter's request Ruby shot a round from crescent rose just above the plateau.

The shot bounced off something that was invisible. Slowly stone walls faded into sight.

There in front of them stood a square castle with low guard towers at each corner and a large keep in the middle. From each of the towers flew tattered red flags bearing the emblem of the sun rising over the horizon.

They were currently a short distance from the castle gate. The unanimous decision was to make this their base camp. Inside they set down their supply crates and packs. The four team leaders decided to allocate roles for setting up camp.

They would stay put, while the remaining members of each team would be assigned a task. Team SSSN was sent to secure the perimeter. RWBY would stay and begin organizing the gear. Team JNPR would explore and map the walls and guard towers. Team CHEK was sent to explore and map the keep.

About an hour later all the teams had returned from their tasks. The walls and towers were pretty much empty aside from rotted wood pieces and what could only be called the remnants of what once were weapons. Grimm however had been found all around the outside. Frankly if the walls had not been so strong the four teams would have been overrun.

The keep was a complex maze of hallways and rooms. It had been very well preserved, the wood was rot free, and the weapons were shiny and strong. Four bedrooms were found and each taken by a team. Base of operations was set up and a watch was assigned for the night. There was still several hours before the teams had to turn in for the night so they all congregated in the main hall. All except for Celebrimbor, and Kelsey who were exploring the keep and discussing the history of the castle.

Some time latter they returned. And with their return came a history lesson.

Celebrimbor settled down and began to talk.

"We have drawn several conclusions on this castle. Judging by it's architecture it was made by a predecessor of Vale. In fact it dates back to the first uses of dust in combat. By deciphering some of the tombs in the library, we have found the name of this castle… Beacon Academy."

It was now kelsey's turn to talk. "We believe this place was a school for knights of the realm. It was also doubled as a dust research facility. We located some machines that use dust as a basis for work."

"The ring I use is not entirely of my own design, I found some schematics for a aura storage device in a library. I took them to Kelsey for translation and discovered how to make it. Some personal adjustments were made to allow greater control."

"In the tallest tower there is a much larger version that uses several different crystals, and another machine that we found to be a system for copying a semblance. That is what hides this castle and makes the massive magnetic field."

"But that is not the important part, there is something for you all to see in the catacombs."

The group followed the two nerd's lead. Down down so deep that the air started to taste sour. Finally they reached the bottom. Burning torches hid in alcoves along the walls of a giant hall, illuminating 12 giant statues.

Each statue stood guard over a stone coffin and had a plaque reading the name of it's owner. First on the right was a scythe welder, the weapon basic in comparison to Ruby's but it was slung comfortably across its owner's shoulder… the exact way Ruby like to use her own weapon. The plaque read: Here lies General Ruby Rose. Mother to thorn and leader of the second regiment. Lying on top of the coffin was a letter and a ruby shaped into the crest of the rose family. Ruby picked up the letter and read

_Dear Ruby,_

_I am sorry I cannot give this to you. But I can at least leave it with your name-sake._

_Do you remember our song? Well I guess I can sing my part properly now._

_I know you will be broken down by anger and by sadness, you feel I have left you in a world that's full of madness._

_I wish I could talk to you again, if only for a minute. Make you understand the reason why I did this._

_I want to tell you your all that ever mattered, want you to know that for eternity I'm shattered._

_I tried so hard to protect you, but I failed to. And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you_

_I never thought that I would leave you there alone, I was sure I would see you when I made it back home._

_And all the times that I swore it would be ok; Now I'm nothing but a liar, and your thrown into the fray._

_This bedtime story ends with misery ever after, The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter._

_I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do; I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you._

_I know you've lived a nightmare I caused you so much pain._

_But, baby, please don't do what I did; I don't want you to waste your life in vain_

Ruby began to sing softly now.

"Red like roses

Fills my head with dreams and finds me

Always closer

To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you."

A single tear ran down her cheek landing next to the last line of the letter.

_For my baby Ruby,_

_Love Summer_


	19. Chapter 19: Hall of Memmories

**Author's Note: Hey guys, I hope you like the new arc, I personally think I might continue and flesh out this storyline in future chapters. I also plan to use some of the RWBY songs as part of the story. If you haven't already done so, go check out the rooster teath official album release. I personally love the music, so it is well worth the effort. (they are also on itunes and spotify) Enjoy!**

Chapter 18: Hall of Memories

It took several minutes of gentle soothing from her sister to calm Ruby down. Once the young huntress had regained her composure the group moved to the next statue

The statue opposite the first was that of a caped lord, bronze embellishments plentiful on his military uniform. The plaque under him read: Major Silver of the third regiment.

Back on the right side was a statue of a wild looking girl. Flames flickered around her some reaching even up to her untamed main. The plaque said: Lieutenant Colonel Grey Xiao Long of the second regiment. Harbinger of the Xiao Long family.

Atop the coffin was a second plaque: The one who can weald my gauntlets without being burnt shall be named the heir to my family. Next to the inscription were two bracelets one side completely flat while the other curved so that they sat perfectly together. Inscriptions of another language wrapped around the curved edge.

Yang stepped forwards picking up the two bronze rings. They began to glow bright red making the air near them distort with heat. But the brawler was completely unfazed. "Hey I think this means I get to take these now!" she said turning to the group. "After all I am a Xiao Long."

Since no-one objected she slipped the new baubles onto her wrists.

Next up was the one on the opposite side of the hall. A tall well muscled figure who wore a full length coat and light armoring. This inscription read: Colonel Sage, medic devision third regiment. There was nothing on the tomb so the group moved on.

The next statue was of three people, a monkey faunus who had his arm around the shoulders of a cat eared girl. In both of their arms was another cat faunus, this one no older than 4. All three were smiling gently. Baste Sol and Baise, Their love for each-other lasts throughout time.

The coffin that lay under this statue was wide enough for two people. On the lid of the coffin lay three items. A book titled: bedtime stories, a well worn toy sword, and between the other two a small heart shaped locket on a chain.

Sun draped his arm over Blake's shoulder and gave her a kiss. Baise who was in their arms smiled up at the two older faunus. "Looks like history has a way of repeating itself." Sun whispered.

* * *

The opposite statue was of a couple. On the right was a man wielding a trident with water rising up from beneath his feet. The woman by his side held a baton in her hand as if conducting the ice that came from beneath her. The plaque beneath them said: Poseidon and Frost, their love a harmony of destruction.

The next statue was also of a couple. A thin but well toned man welding two strait double edged short swords and a broad shouldered girl armed with norse chain mail and holding up a hammer. The inscription on the statue read: Mulan and Thor, two bodes that shared the same heart, and soul.

The final statue was of a regal looking man in half amour, he held a kite shield in his left hand and a simple long sword in his right. He was standing back to back with a girl in leather and bronze armor. She held a round shield and a spear. The engraving on this statue read: Jaune and Pyrrha Arc. King and Queen of the realm, Heroes of all man-kind. On the coffin at the foot of the statue lay two gold rings inscribed with the words hearth and home.

The hall continued beyond the statues to a series of smaller alcoves inside each one was a gem infused into the stone. Each gem was shaped in the likeness of a member of their party's crest, all except a rose. And at the end of the hall was a pedestal with a sword laying across the top.

There was another engraving on the pedestal: He who bears the king's blood and name step forth and take the kings sword from this rock to claim your heritage.

Everyone looked expectingly at Jaune. He tentitavely stepped forward gently lifting the sword from it's resting place. As he reached out his aura flared uncontrollably sending a flash of light into the dark room.

The blast knocked everyone back sprawling on the floor. The room wasn't the same now everything had a eree insubstantial glow. (Think lord of the rings/The hobbit when the one ring is put on.) No one got back up, they weren't moving either.

Then from the coffins all along the hall shadowy figures rose. The looked exactly like the people in the statues. The king stepped forward past the limp forms of his friends. Taking the forefront of the spiritual army.

"You son of my blood, prove your worth to me… Take up arms and face me in battle." The king said drawing his ghostly sword.

Shaking almost uncontrollably Jaune drew Crocea Mors. The moment he did it was blasted out of his hand with a strike of light.

"Don't use that cheap copy. I will not fight a fake, use the sword of kings."

Jaune even more terrified picked up the sword from the pedestal testing it's feel. It was exactly like Croccea Mors except … somehow better, like it was more balanced, stronger, like he could really trust his life to this blade.

"Good, NOW FIGHT!"

The ghost of the dead king dashed forwards swinging his sword down in a powerful strike. The ghostly steel glanced off Jaune's shield sending the ghost staggering. Seeing his opening Jaune swung a controlled back hand slice.

The swing contacted with the ghost bouncing off it's aura. The ghost turned around running to strike once more, only to be deflected and countered again. This process repeated several times before Jaune realized. The ghost was fighting exactly like he did when he first faced off against Cardin.

The moment he came to this realization the ghost changed attack. He began making more controlled cuts, but focussing solely on his sword not using his shield at all. Jaune blocked a few times until they had reached a stalemate.

Once again making the realization that the ghost was mimicking his earlier fighting style, he dropped low to the ground mimicking the kick technique Pyrrha had once used on him to knock his opponent off it's feet. Sword raised the knight swung down the finishing blow.

A blow that cut through air. The ghost had teleported behind him. Once again taking up a fighting stance Jaune and the dead king engaged in combat. Now they were equal, exchanging blow for blow. Jaune was tiering quickly so he made a gamble. He overextended on a downward swing, leaving an opening for the ghost to attack.

The ghost seeing his blunder moved in for a quick thrust. The sword never made it, as Jaune's sword still being propelled by the force of his swing, came back up cutting the dead king's sword hand off.

The expression on his face at that one moment could only be described with one word: Priceless. The ghost was shocked. Then he began laughing. Raws of laughter belted from his lips. Once the king stopped convulsing with mirth He turned once again to Jaune.

"Well done young one you have bested me at my own game. Now I guess I owe you an explanation."

"This castle was home to the first combat school. It also acted as a dust research facility. Several machines were made here but deemed by the headmaster as too dangerous to be given to the military. He only told us few he trusted. After a syndicate dealt a crushing blow on the kingdom he activated these devices to hide the academy and it's knowledge from the world. In the process he trapped all it's inhabitants in it. Occasionally a stray adventurer found a week point and entered the field but none have had the power to escape.

To do that you need one with the same magic type as my wife, Polarity. To further protect the hidden knowlage I used my semblance of the spirit to seal certain rooms to all but our kin. That is why you and your friends can roam freely. Now we can pass on our emblems to their rightful heirs."

The dead king turned to the other ghosts saying "Go my friends and comrades take your crests and pass them on."

The spirits of the deceased heroes moved from their ring around the two arcs and retrieved their crests. Each hovered over their respective relatives. Each gemstone was gently placed in the hand of it's new owner.

"And this is for you,"

The old king reached out pressing the Arc family crest into his palm.

"You are now the head of the family. Cast aside the fake you have been carrying around and wield the true sword of kings, Crocea Mors … Before I Leave, Give Ozpin my regards. Tell him he needs come for a visit."

With those final words the ghost faded from existence. The room returned to normal and the other huntsmen and huntresses began to rise.

"Uhh what was that?"

"My head hurts."

"What happened."

Jaune turned to his comrades sheathing his new sword. "I just discovered my semblance, It's a ghosty ancestor thingy. I can like talk with my dead ancestors and use them to help me fight...

Everyone deadpanned.

"How anticlimactic." Weiss said

Jaune deflated some, but regained confidence remembering the crests that each person held. "The crests in your hands they are from the ghosts. Each of them is one of your ancestors. They were trapped here thanks to the machine so they couldn't pass on the family crest."

Everyone paused for a bit.

"What do you mean trapped here?" Yang asked her usual jovial tone now noticeably absent.

The color drained from Jaune's face. Forget the assignment, they were trapped.


	20. Chapter 20: The smallest spark of hope

**Author's Note: Here is the last chapter of the Castle Beacon arc. However it is not the last you will here of this story. I have to commend Mr/Mrs Cavetroll on his perceptive comment. I have decided to post a double length chapter to reward him/her. **

Chapter 20: Smallest spark of Hope

Back up at the camp fire the mood was dark. No one moved. No one talked. Blinking was even diminished. The silence was finally broken by the lone voice of Weiss of all people.

This time there was no snide remarks, no 'voice of reason'. She just opened up her scroll and turned up the volume.

She began singing to the back in track. It was a song they had all heard before so almost every one recognised it. Soon everyone had joined in chorus.

(Wings )

One life,

Is not a long time,

When you're waiting,

For a small sign.

Patience,

Is hard to find.

Shadows,

Seem to fill your life.

Don't be disappointed,

Don't let your heart break.

Don't spend another minute,

In this way.

It's okay.

Dry your eyes now, baby;

Broken wings won't hold you down.

You'll take flight soon, baby.

You'll be lifted up,

And you'll be there

Twelve hours,

Is a long night.

When you're searching,

With no hope in sight.

Aimless,

On the inside;

And the damage,

Makes you want to hide.

I know that it seems pointless,

I know that it feels fake.

I know you can't stand the thought of,

Being stray,

One more day.

Dry your eyes now, baby;

Broken wings won't hold you down.

You'll take flight soon, baby.

You'll be lifted up,

And you'll be there.

The chorus of voices died down and without another word everyone parted ways. Each team headed to their respective room. Sleep came in restless fitful dreams for everyone.

Blake was suffering horribly. The whole night was filled with fevered dreams of ageing corpses talking ghosts and shadows of the past. The thing that terrified her the most was her last dream. Baise was standing in front of her starring up with a pleading gaze. The only thing she said was "Why mommy, why did you kill me?" Then slowly her body began to rot away, flesh turning mouldy and rancid. Then finally Blake's ears were filled with a static buzzing that slowly grew louder.

The cat faunus jumped practically screaming in panic. Her terrified gaze desperately scanned the room landing on the concerned faces of her team-mates, each in turn. Finally she found Baise and started to calm down. The little girl was sitting in the corner wrapped in blankets reading to herself.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked

"Nothing, just a dream, *sigh, It was just a dream."

Groggily she pulled herself out of her sleeping bag to face the winter chill. That was when she noticed the white noise, It was still there. Was it actually a dream or was it really happening? Was she still dreaming? The raven haired girl's fear was finally put to rest at the sight of the four scrolls sitting on a table in the middle of the room. The noise was just from the magnetic field messing with the electronics.

The next thought that crossed her mind was 'wait didn't Pyrrha use her aura to de-activate the field?'

Before the question had left her lips Ruby began to explain. "The buzzing started at dawn and has been getting consistently louder. Some of the others have gone up to the tower to check it out."

With the knowlage that the situation was being monitored Blake was able to relax. She changed into her battle gear and took her onesie clad charge to the main hall for some breakfast. The preserved camping food was nothing close to the gourmet meals that they usually ate, but the two faunus managed to eat without too much complaint.

After a short while Sun joined the two girls. He suggested that they go explore, this was met with great enthusiasm from the youngest of their party.

The family of three began wandering aimlessly around the castle, guided by nothing but a three year old's whim. As they wandered they began noticing details, familiar details. Lecture rooms, a gym, a sparing ground, the garden (albeit overgrown) the fountain and most importantly The statue. The exact statue that held pride of place in the very middle of Beacon's garden. All these details were the same as the Beacon academy they knew.

The exploration did not end there, they also found the library and a strange dark room. When a torch was shone around they found an old study. The disturbing part was the desk, or what was on the desk. Sitting on the chair slumped over the desk was a body. Insignia on the dead woman's belt told enough of the story. Here was the final resting place of Summer Rose.

Blake took her charge out of the room away from the sad sight. Sun however stepped forward to further investigate. On the desk he found a note reading: Library 2, 5th shelf from the left row 3. After reading the note he put it back in place and left the Ruby's mother to rest.

Upon exiting the room Sun and Blake agreed not to show Ruby the study. While they wouldn't stop her if she went looking for her mother in the castle, they agreed that the poor girl didn't need any more stress.

…

After they were done exploring the three faunus returned to the main hall, there they met the rest of the teams. Jaune stepped forward to explain the recent developments.

"We have just finished rationing out the food, there is enough to last 2 weeks at a stretch. We also need to experiment with the boundaries of this trap. We know Pyrrha's semblance is key, but that is about all we know. Celebrimbor and his friends are working with Pyrrha and Ruby to try and figure out the device. Here is a decoding sheet for you to use, you guys need to look through the libraries for any information that might help. Understand?"

Sun nodded then said, "We will go to library 2 then. There is something of interest there that I also want to check out."

The knight just nodded and turned back to the others. The three faunus made their way in the direction of where they saw the sign for library 2. In said library Sun made his way strait to the fifth shelf on the third row and began searching. He wasn't sure what for, but he knew it would stand out.

Blake came over from where she had set Baise down and asked "Why are you acting so strange?"

"There was a note on the desk. It said Library 2, 5th shelf from the left row 3."

"What so your looking for something here?"

"I don't know what it is I'm searching for but I think I'll know when I find it."

Blake pulled out a small leather bound book and presented it to the monkey faunus "Would it be something like a journal written in english?"

"yeh, that would be it."

The two put the book on a table and opened it up. It was indeed a journal. The first pages were talking about everyday life but as the book drew on the time between entries became longer and longer. Until it reached the last three pages. The last page had an entry on it, presumably Summer's dying words.

She talked about her regrets and over time appeared to make peace with her fate. The other thing she mentioned was what she found out about the machines that trapped them in the castle. She talked about the barrier. "It seems to extend up indefinitely from the base of the wall." "Indestructible by any means available to me." She also discussed some large pipes that lead out from under the castle.

As she read Blake noted down information that was helpful. Once they read the final line the book was returned to it's rightful place. Without a moment to loose the two faunus collected up Baise and made their way to the central tower. When they reached the top floor they were met with the sight of giant turning gears and the sound of grinding steel. In the centre of the massive room was a large desk occupied by Jaune.

The knight was in full leader mode discussing something with Ruby and Celebrimbor. When they came into earshot they heard the enchanter "The machines seem to run on aura gathered from a kind of source, It might be related to the machines harvesting power from the sun we found."

Jaune paused for a moment before turning to the three waiting faunus. "I need a break from all this mechanical talk. What have you two… three found?"

Blake presented the notes she made to the scruffy blond who accepted them and quickly scanned over the hastily written lines. He looked up and said "Thank-you this might give us a clue on how these machines work." He then turned to his other side where Pyrrha stood guard. "Pyrrha get together a small teem and search for these pipes." The spartan nodded and ran off to fulfil his orders.

Now Jaune turned back to the three faunus, "Good work, keep searching for information and we will be out of here soon enough." With these instructions the three faunus returned to library 2.

…..

Many long days passed with little progress. The pipes were discovered, but were protected by the same high-tech plating as the other machines. Other than that the only way in was via a complicated control system and hatch, neither of witch had been de-coded.

All that was left to look at in the libraries was dated text books and maps. It was looking at one of these such maps that Sun had an idea.

He suddenly stood up knocking his seat over. In front of him were two maps. The first was a detailed map made by one of the members of team CHEK and the second was an old map of the school campus. When Blake looked over questioningly he explained what he had found.

"The first map is smaller than the second one!" he explained

"Uh yeh that is just the scaling"

"No no the one we made is missing rooms, the walls aren't as thick as they seem."

"Hey your right, you might be on to something! Hold on, why does this say floor six?" Blake said pointing to another map that had been splayed out on the table.

"That is the map to the sixth floor."

"But there is no sixth floor…"

"Hey wasn't this place also a research facility? I haven't seen any labs or anything."

"Because they are on the sixth floor! Sun you're a genius." Blake said wrapping her arms around him, completely discarding her usual stoic visage. Sun just smiled and returned her warm embrace.

Sun's coincidental discovery was received well by the others as well. Smiles of witch had grown more scarce over the last few days had returned. That evening Weiss brought out the music again, but chose a livelier tune. Yang and Nora were also happy to sing back up for her little performance.

(I may fall)

There's a day when all hearts will be broken,

When a shadow will cast out the light,

And our eyes cry a million tears:

Help won't arrive.

There's a day when all courage collapses,

And our friends turn and leave us behind.

Creatures of darkness will triumph;

The sun won't rise.

When we've lost all hope,

And succumb to fear,

And the skies rain blood,

And the end draws near,

I may fall,

But not like this: it won't be by your hand.

I may fall,

Not this place; not today.

I may fall,

Bring it all, it's not enough to take me down.

I may fall.

There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered;

Where the wolves and the soulless will rise.

In the time of our final moments,

Every dream dies.

There's a place where our shields will lay shattered,

And the fear's all that's left in our hearts.

Our strength and our courage have run out;

We fall apart.

When we lose our faith,

And forsake our friends;

When the moon is gone,

And we've reached our ends,

I may fall.

There's a moment that changes a life when,

We do something that no one else can.

And the path that we've taken will lead us:

One final stand.

There's a moment we'll make a decision,

Not to cower and crash on the ground.

The moment we face our worst demons,

Our courage found.

When we stand with friends,

And we won't retreat,

As we stare down death,

Then the taste is sweet.

I may fall,

But not like this: it won't be by your hand.

I may fall,

Not this place; not today.

I may fall,

Bring it all, it's not enough to take me down.

I may fall.

I may fall.

I may fall.

I may, I may fall.

With the voice of hope still ringing in their ears the four teems slept.

The next few days were filled with cautious exploration and experimentation. Soon the sixth floor had been completely searched. With all the data and research notes that they could need the technicians of the four teams set to work de-activating the barrier.

With nothing better to do the three faunus wandered the halls. Baise thoroughly enjoyed exploring these halls, what she liked even more was looking at the vast assortment of weapons in the armoury but there was one set of gear that she kept returning to.

On a stand there were two gauntlets they were small and delicate but unique. Inside was a seemingly indefinite supply of metal wire. Finally the three year old decided to pick them up and try them out. They fit almost perfectly. However she had no way to release the wire that was the purpose of the weapon. Finally with help from her foster mother Baise found the catch that activated the weapon.

As soon as the safety was released Baise's aura flared up focusing around the gauntlets. The once silver wire turned dark. By controlling the shadows imbued with the weapon the child could completely control the wires. The two older faunus decided they would hold on to the powerful weapon for a few years. While Baise's aura was strong she still had only a beginner level of control. The weapons were still to advanced for her.

…

When the sun set the four teams talked and learned more about each-other. After a while Yang grew bored of the small talk and suggested they do some sparing in the courtyard. Most of the other huntsmen in training agreed to the idea.

The training ground was lit by braziers and groups of two fought each-other. In accordance of the tournament rules a combatant was out if their aura dropped into the red. The first fight was Neptune and Weiss vs Heathcliff and Ezdeth. To start off the two girls took rear positions letting the men face off.

Heathcliff started off the fight by drawing his sword in a sharp forward motion elbowing the upright Neptune. Weiss was quick to cover her partner by sending strikes of ice towards the opposing samurai. He dodged focussing the fire to the east side of the field.

Meanwhile Neptune had no time to recover, as vines wrapped around his feet. Attempting to putt them out from under him. However the sea-god had a trick up his sleeve. Using his rock hard abs he managed to remain upright, riding the plant like a wave. Once he was sure of his balance he began shooting at the mage below him.

Immediately the shots were intercepted. Heathcliff had used one of his revolvers in his off hand. To counter the shots. This was when Ezdeth sent more vines towards Weiss. The ice queen used one of her glyphs to dodge out of the way, Strait into the waiting Swordsman. He swung a hard overhead, forcing Weiss's defence High and allowing him to slip his revolver inside of her guard. And fire.

The single round bounced off of the ice queen's aura. She extended her leg not even flinching at the shot. The samurai's balance was toppled and he was encased in ice. With one foe incapacitated Weiss turned to help Neptune, who was at Ezdeth's mercy. He was now encased in a tree only face showing. Now it was a battle of the two mages.

The nature mage started to form a shield of roots around herself but was two slow for Weiss's speed glyph. Ice filled the rapidly forming barrier and the match ended.

The performance put on by the new additions had piqued Jaune's interest. So the Blond knight challenged the remaining members of team CHEK to a battle. Pyrrha was Jaune's partner and the match began.

Celebrimbor was wearing what appeared to be a full set of scale armour, except the scales all had sharp curved barbs. The gauntlet's had curved claws on the fingers and several spikes protruded from each joint guard. Kelsey was wearing her usual jeans and tee this time with several backpacks and a wand.

Celebrimbor started by running toward Pyrrha bringing his clawed fists up in front of him. Jaune Stepped forward raising his shield and initiating their usual tag-team style strategy. What he did not expect was a clawed hand to reach over the top of his shield yanking it wide.

In a split second the enchanter latched onto his opponent giving the poor knight a bear-hug. Celebimbor deactivated his aura and began convulsing madly with Jaune still in his grasp. The sharp barbs on his armour tore into the knight's aura quickly reducing it to the yellow.

When Pyrrha tried to attack the exposed enchanter from behind her sword was stopped by a gold translucent barrier. A shielding spell courtesy of Kelsey. Pyrrha was powerless and Jaune was knocked out of the match.

Once the knight had been eliminated Celebrimbor detached himself and turned to face his new opponent. Only to be smashed in the face by a boot. He went tumbling across the arena. When he regained his composure Pyrrha smashed through his defence using her shield and feet as weapons and her sword as a shield. By reversing roles of her gear Pyrrha quickly shut down the enchanter's strategy.

When his aura dropped into the yellow Kelsey called for him to back off. He sprinted back to her position and a translucent barrier was raised around them. She quickly whispered something to him and he grabbed a backpack. The enchanter's armour retracted into the pack much in the same way the weapons worked. Then he retrieved another one. This time he had full plate armour along with a large shield and a bastard sword. Some more time was spent strategising and healing inside the barrier before the fight resumed. This time when Pyrrha charged for her powerful first strike Celebrimbor raised his large shield. The Spartan raised her shield ready to knock the thin man off his feet.

At the last moment Kelsey cast a rooting spell. On her ally. The spell held Celebrimbor in place while Pyrrha just collided with a brick wall. Not expecting the resistance she fell back stunned. This gave her opponent the chance he needed to attack.

The female warrior was sent sprawling across the field with a mighty swing. Once she had recovered She found a new target: The exhausted support mage. Changing to riffle mode she took to quick shots. The first was dodged but the second landed home. Reducing the last of the mage's aura to the red.

Now it was one v one. Limited by the heavy armour Pyrrha's opponent moved slowly. Taking advantage of this and her semblance Pyrrha defaulted to her standard strategy quickly incapacitating him. She one, but only by a hair's berth.

Applause met the weary combatants as they returned to the bleachers. Everyone else fought in turn. Blowing off steam through well practiced combat. After everyone was hot and sweaty they sat around one of the fires. This night Sun and Blake took the stage. They sung a song popular among the faunus youths.

(From shadows)

Born with no life,

Into subjugation.

Treated like a worthless animal,

Stripped of all rights,

Just a lesser being,

Crushed by cruel ruthless Human rule.

When it started,

All we wanted was a chance to live our lives.

Now in darkness,

Taking everything we want and we will rise.

We'll rise.

We'll rise.

From shadows,

We'll descend upon the world,

Take back what you stole.

From shadows,

We'll reclaim our destiny,

Set our future free.

And we'll rise.

And we'll rise.

Above the darkness and the shame.

Above the torture and the pain.

Above the ridicule and hate.

Above the binding of our fate.

Call us liars,

Degenerates, and killers,

Psychos, heartless, insane criminals,

Stupid, mutts and,

Nothing but pure evil,

Primal, bloodshed, is all that's left to do.

We're misguided,

Treated like we're criminals and we should hide.

Born indicted,

Tired of being pushed around and we will fly.

We'll fly.

We'll fly.

From shadows,

We'll descend upon the world.

From shadows,

We'll reclaim our destiny.

After the faunus duo had finished their performance Jaune stepped out in front of the group.

"Guys We have been faced with a great challenge. Bit by bit we are working this problem out. But I have gained something valuable in the time we have been trapped here. I think we all have. An independence from the normal supports and pull downs of the modern world. And with this as individuals, teams, and as a group we are stronger. With this I think we can face and overcome any challenges that face us. Let's go out there and show anyone who opposes us our power!"

Jaune's speech was met with much cheering from the others.

"With that said it is time for bed, we have a big couple of days ahead of us."

As everyone began to stand up the sky began to flicker and waver. Then the clear night vanished, replaced by a crimson sunrise. The wall to the west suddenly imploded revealing a giant spider. Then a metal alarm bell rung out, there was a buzz of activity as spectral warriors flooded out of the keep. They banished their weapons charging to meet the ensuing rush of grimm. Just before the two forces collided a black clad woman jumped between the two forces. Welding fire she spread panic among the castle's defenders. Routed the men and women at arms retreated to the keep.

The shocked teams followed the spectral fighters finding refuge inside the main hall. Inside the door was quickly barred and the confused warriors looked around whispering. Then a strong voice cut though the noise followed by a scrawny blond knight taking the front of the hall.

"Friends and comrades, brothers and sisters in arms. The days of the cold war are over and our great foe has reared it's head. It has been hard on all of us. But I have gained something valuable in this time. I think we all have. We now have a sense of direction, meaning outside of waging a half hearted war on the grimm. With this, as individuals, as teams and as a group we are stronger. With this I think we can face and overcome any challenges that face us. Let's go out there and show anyone who opposes us our power!"

With a colossal roar the warriors opened the doors rushing out to face the onslaught. All except 12. A reaper, a fencer, a ninja, a brawler, a gladiator, a monkey, a herbalist, a monk, a spartan, a martial artist, a valkyrie, and the knight.

The knight once again spoke although only to those assembled in frond of him. "This battle cannot be lost. Ruby, Take your team and find Queen, take them out. The rest of you, to battle!"

The two teams went their different ways. Leaving the ninja and monkey.

"Good luck, and come back safely."

"You too."

After saying goodbye the two faunus kissed then parted ways.

The four teams followed spectral Ruby's team to the rooftop. On the roof waited four fighters. A tall ginger man with a cane, a metallic themed teen, a average hight green haired girl, and the mysterious lady that Ruby had fought twice now.

Just then Jaune collapsed and the image faded. The knight's aura was completely gone now.

"I guess he wasn't kidding about his semblance." Commented the brawler the excitement of the flashback over the four teams turned in for the night. In the top-most tower a small machine off to the side turned off, it's gears grinding to a halt.

…

Morning came, the rations were now running thin, Game from the gardens had become more and more of a staple meal over the last few days. Ren was thankfully somehow making the bland meat more flavoursome.

Jaune was tired after his episode last night but insisted in continuing with the escape effort. They worked all through the day, only stopping for lunch. When dinner came thing's ramped up again. Everyone was sitting around the fire when the blond knight dropped his bowel of stew. His eyes rolled back and a white aura appeared around his body. Then a spiritual form rose through the floor.

"I have little time, his aura is fading fast. The barrier is powered by two sources, energy gathered from the forrest and energy from the sun. You can block the energy from the forrest with a magnetic pull switch, then if you wait until just before sunrise the power store will run out and you can escape…"

As he spoke his last word the ghostly king faded from existence and Jaune was able to recover.

"Wha? What happened ? AAAHHH MY FEET ARE BURNING!"

Frantically the knight took off his socks and shoes witch had absorbed his piping hot meal. Once all extremities were safe from harm, they discussed the message that had been given to them.

"All that research and work, we were just about to make a break-through and he ruined the ending! He didn't even give a spoiler warning!" Exclaimed a crafts-fallen Celebrimbor.

"But it does give us an escape plan." Said Pyrrha. "I can make sure the magnetic switch is turned using my semblance, tomorrow morning we can escape!"

Satisfied with the plan of attack everyone set about packing up camp. Everything but the sleeping gear was packed away.

…

The next morning everyone woke up and prepared for their escape. Final preparations were made and the whole group gathered at the gates. Just as dawns rosy touch reached the horizon the barrier fell. Seizing the opportunity everyone walked out leaving the castle and it's secrets behind.

The system re-booted and the magnetic field once again shroud the castle.

The four teams walked back to the designated pick up point and put down their gear, ready to wait for the drop ship, that they had missed.

"How are they going to find us? By definition we are missing in action. They probably have already searched the surrounding forest and found nothing!" Weiss said

"We may just have to walk back to vale" came the monotone reply

Jaune paced around a bit, "hmmm if only we could boost the signal of our scrolls far enough to reach one of the remote town's towers."

"But the phones emit electromagnetic waves there is no way we have the tech to do that." Ruby was now thoroughly disheartened.

"Um guys?" Said Pyrrha.

Jaune regained hope once more. "Can you?"

"Well I could try."

Using Pyrrha's semblance to boost the signal strength they contacted Beacon, the drop ship was on it's way.


	21. Chapter 21: Warm Fluffy Beds

**Author's Note: This is a bit of a time killer chapter, really I need to wait until Volume 3 is out so that I can tie it in propperly. In the meantime I need some ideas for what they will be doing over the holidays. If you have one please send it in. Other than that please enjoy.**

Chapter 21: Warm fluffy beds

Blake lay in a dark shroud of warmth and comfort. The air temperature was perfect, a sharp contrast to the biting cold. The bed was soft and comfortable, so different from the thin straw mattresses. The covers were fluffy and free-flowing, unlike the tight confides of the sleeping bag. Most importantly her pillow was firm but comforting, rhythmically thudding at a slow calm tempo. Slow notes rose and fell lulling the happy faunus deeper into sleep.

Oh how good it was to be in her own bed.

* * *

The climate control was on in team RWBY's dorm fighting back the bitter chill of winter. It had been this way since the missing team had returned from their somewhat disastrous assignment. Almost two weeks in a stone castle, a fair way south of vale was more than enough time to put the huntresses in training off winter for a good six months.

Sun decided that around 7 am was a good time to wake up. The shining rays filtered through the window waking up the monkey faunus, who in turn woke up the cat curled up beside him. Blake was not complaining, because she had holidays to look forward to, and a birthday to prepare for.

Baise had been living with them at the dorm for quite a few months now. While she originally claimed to be three and a half background checks now showed that she had actually been closer to three and three quarters.

It had rolled around so quickly, the little girl was growing up so fast. For her age Baise was incredibly talented, fast, smart, strong, and dextrous, showing great potential. Now it was time for Blake's little girl to become a year older.

Blake herself had never celebrated birthdays. Needles to say her hard past gave her little time for celebration of such trivial matters. For some strange reason organising her charge's birthday kind of felt like making up for the ones that she'd missed.

Everyone else was organising gifts for the little girl: Weiss was going to take her shopping for a nice dress, Ren was making a cake, Ruby was hand-crafting her a sword to practice with, Pyrrha was going to start teaching her how to fight, Yang was setting off a fireworks display, Nora had made a new mahogany bookshelf, and Jaune had called upon his many sisters to find a live mini-orchestra to play all her favourite songs.

Sun hadn't said anything about his present and Blake simply had prepared a little black bow

Dr Ooblek and Zans were coming too.

Everyone was very exited for this party, Baise in the middle of it all was completely oblivious.

* * *

When the day of reckoning came, all the huntsmen and huntresses in training were very busy. First up Weiss took custody of the to be four year-old. The two made their way to the shopping district where they browsed the dresses department for Baise's favourite. It was a deep purple dress that frilled out at the bottom with violet trim.

After the two shoppers had returned Pyrrha took charge showing the little girl the basics of combat (specifically the fun stuff). After that and a few stories of the spartan's grand exploits Baise was thoroughly pumped up.

A few romance stories with Blake soon settled the little girl down enough for a short nap. Once she had woken up it was time for the real party to start. Once Baise was dressed up in her new outfit and the older faunus were also dressed up, Sun Baise and Blake walked through the campus gardens.

Up on a hill looking out over beacon cliff stood a tree. A great oak with strong far reaching branches. Nestled in among those branches was Sun's present: a tree house. Not just any tree house though it was massive, The main hall alone was easily as big as Team RWBY's quarters, there were also hallways leading to smaller rooms with balconies and windows with working doors and real glass. There was a small dust powered winch like elevator that rose up to a platform witch in turn, lead to the front door.

Light shone out of the door and as the faunus trio approached chattering voices could be heard. When the elevator had finished pulling them up they walked up to the door Baises' chaperones opening the double door to reveal a warm glow and smiling faces.

All at once the attendees shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and Baise's small smile grew slowly at first changing faster and faster into a ecstatic grin. Everyone cheered as the stunned four year-old walked over the threshold into the treehouse.

The room was a big octagonal shape, the polished wood floor and log cabin styled walls made it look warm and inviting. The big windows and balcony gave a beautiful view out to the emerald forest, Small tables had been set up in each of the corners with food and drinks. An area had been cleared in the middle of the room for a dance floor as well. The final detail was a carving around the border of the ceiling.

The music started up and everyone enjoyed themselves. Everyone was dressed well, in suits and dresses, even Zans had a tuxedo. The two children ran around the hall and the area around the tree giggling the whole time. Once everyone had had their fill of food and talk, the dance music started up, there were a few slow songs mixed among the more lively tunes.

Everyone took turns dancing in pairs while the others watched. The highlight though was when Zans asked Baise to dance. He had lead the way perfectly executing a simple waltz. Now it was time to receive her plethora of gifts.

Each room had a gift from a different person. Baise had to navigate the tree house to find them. The first place she found was the armoury. It was a small room, against the right wall stood an armour stand. Specialised light combat armour sized to fit the little girl perfectly adorned the stand, the crown of the dummy's head was decorated with a gold circlet embedded with a sizeable onyx. This had been made by Celebrimbor. Mounted on the left was a weapons rack with the two wooden practice swords and Ruby's gift. It was a short sword of similar design to the wooden ones. The blade was made of blue steel that had been tempered and coloured with charcoal fires to form a strong blade of black metal. The hilt was curved for better protection and the handle was bound with black leather. In the middle of the room was a glass display case on a table. In it the gauntlets from Beacon castle were displayed.

The next room was one on the higher branches, there was a rug and an armchair looking out a large window onto the now dark forest. Along the wall was a large mahogany bookshelf laden with Baise's favourites.

The next room was a small kitchenette, the floor was polished hardwood and the counter even had a stove and a sink. The only downfall was the pumping was pretty… well it sucked. The water was drawn from a wooden water tank hidden higher up in the tree. Most importantly was what Zans gave her in the kitchen. A small mug, just the right size for the young girl. She now had her very own hot chocolate mug.

After the kitchen she visited the master bedroom. It was off to the side near the kitchen it took the form of a small peeked tower. The room itself was broken up into two floors, the first floor was taken up by stairs and several wardrobes there was also a full length mirror opposite the door. On the second floor was the actual bed, it was large and quite comfortable looking. It faced a wood framed glass door that lead to a private balcony. Beacon academy in all it's splendour was visible from the balcony.

Next was the library it was directly above the main hall in the form of a tower like structure. At the base was a veranda occupying the partially flat roof of the hall. Inside was walled with bookshelves. It was broken up into several floors joined by a ladder. It went up a long way often merging with the main trunk of the tree until at the very top it's peeked roof broke above the tree. Just above the treeline there was a circular balcony wrapped around the tower giving a 360 view of the treehouse's surroundings. The best part was on the bottom floor in the middle was a pedestal holding an ancient book. The book told of the tales of a young cat faunus, who started off as a renegade then became a knight and met a monkey faunus, it told of how they saved a little girl and raised her. At the end was a page that folded out to form a long banner. On this was a artwork that followed the whole story. The exact piece had been copied out and carved into the board that wrapped around the inside of the main hall. This was Blake's gift to her little girl.

There was also a bathroom stocked with very pink very fluffy towels, a study, several spare bedrooms and a playroom.

Blake on viewing each of the rooms asked "How on earth did you do this?"

To witch Sun replied "An idea, a lot of wood and an insane amount of debt." Then from the main veranda everyone enjoyed Yang's fireworks display.

The guests were about to turn in for the night when the front doors burst open. Behind them stood none other than professor ozpin.

The white haired headmaster stepped into the room wearing an expressionless mask. His eyes wandered around the room finally stopping on Baise.

"Hmm I've heard that you're celebrating a birthday here… I thought it would be rude for the head master to ignore his youngest student's birthday."

It seemed that everyone in the room sighed a breath of relief. Building a massive tree house just off campus was a first, and it was debatable how well it would go down with the higher ups.

"As such I too have brought you a gift he brought his hands from behind his back presenting her a black scroll with grey-silver accents. This here is a specialised combat scroll pre-set to your specifications. It also has the contact details of all the staff, including an emergency line for me. Hopefully you won't need to use it but it is there just in case."

Now turning to the rest of the attendees he said "It is well past curfew so I trust you will all be going to bed now." Once the headmaster was satisfied that everyone would obey he returned to the emerald tower.

The party was now over and everyone made their way back to the dorms.


	22. Chapter 22: Through a Child's Eyes

**Author's Note: Im back! And the writing fever has swept over me once again. This chapter was very much inspired by a comment stating that dragging the two faunus into bed together was a very toddler-like thing to do. So I have decided to write a chapter about it. Please enjoy**

Through a child's Eyes

The darkness of sleep comfortably enveloped the two faunus as the light of dawn touched the window. It was a week after the party and everyone was back onto a normal teenager's sleep pattern. However 4 year-olds work on a somewhat different clock to 18 year-olds. As such; the moment light touched the room a small pair of glowing amber eyes fluttered open. The small onsie clad feet made only soft patters on the floor boards. The quiet creek of the door did nothing to wake the sleeping inhabitants of the room.

The kitchen however was empty, no uncle Ren making pancakes, or pink valkyries to entertain her. Sighing two small hands clung to a small red haired plushie. Once again the sound tiny feet pattering across the floor approached the large double bunk. Using all of her strength the little girl climbed up onto the bed, over the blond monkey and onto the dark haired huntress. There she sat herself down with a huff. Blake stirred for a moment but ultimately rolled over and went back to sleep. Knocked from her perch the little girl adopted her second tactic. She crawled up over the blond form and began her assault on the unsuspecting monkey's cheeks. She pulled, pinched, squished, and twisted without avail. He was completely out of it. Finally Baise pulled out her last trick. She stood near the cat faunus's head and flopped over so her stomach completely covered Blake's face. After several seconds of being unable to breath the young huntress jerked awake gasping for air. Mission accomplished Baise sat contently on the bed smile painted across her face.

…

The shower was occupying the male counterpart of the faunus trio, while Blake was Making the beds. During this time Baise found her way to the kitchen where she pulled herself up onto a chair. Funnily enough on the table was a book laying open. On it was a number of stapled together papers and a pretty red pen. Instantly the creative little girl got to work making lovely flowers and pictures of giraffes. She covered the front and back of every page. Covering the carefully written out descriptions of a nevermore's anatomy and hand-drawn diagrams of death-stalker parts.

Once she was finished she took it to show her parents. Sun's expression of what had become of his homework. Not just his homework but the homework that was due today! The damage was irreversible; he would have to hand it in baewoulf with it's moustache and all.

Needless to say Professor port was not pleased when he received the paper. One thing he was impressed with though was the thickness and accuracy of the moustache's that had been attached to all of the diagrams.

…

That evening Sun and Blake were enjoying a quiet cup of hot-chocolate together on the couch. They were talking and enjoying themselves. They lent in for a kiss before getting ready for bed. Just as their lips were about to meet. A ball or tangled black hair tumbled down between them causing them both to jump back. In the child's hands was a story book. She brandished it happily declaring that it was story time. The two elder faunus quickly shared a kiss before happily settling in to read about the brown paper package with a bear in it.

It had been a more or less normal day for the young faunus family. Raising a child wasn't all fun and games or wild adventures.

**Author's Note: Thank-you for reading guys. I am sorry that it has been so long. I probably will not make another post until the new season has ended. Kudos to "Grandtheftfandom" for posting the comment that inspired this lovely little chapter about the faunus trio's daily life. If anyone has any ideas for new chapters please send them to me. Good ideas have been scarce of late for me so I would love to hear from you.**

**Thank-you for all your support.**


	23. Chapter Ω: Lost Future

**WARNING: this is a very sad chapter and might ruin the rest of the story. Reader discretion is advised. **

Author's Note: With the volume 3 finale out it has become quite apparent that this story is somewhat invalid. That being said I have written this chapter to convey some of my sorrow over the recent events and tie this back into the plot.

Chapter Ω: Lost Future

The sound of grimm was everywhere, yet it still did not reach her ears. A lone figure sat in Team RWBY's ruined room. She kneeled over a single book resting on the blood-stained carpet. Slowly she opened the cover to show the water colour pictures inside.

A infant who was saved by a heroine dressed all in black yet had skin as pale as the moon. They met a bright haired boy as bright as the sun. The two took in the girl and cared for her. Together they made a home. The army tried to take her but the two banded together with their friends to protect the little girl. They went on wild adventures together. Exploring long lost castles and meeting new friends. Fighting side by side against the forces of darkness. Finally they became a family. Her new mother and father loved her and cared for her very much. And they lived happily ever after.

Blake closed the book, tears flowing uncontrollably. Shakely she closed the book and placed it next to the tiny set of neatly folded clothes that lay on the desk. This only brought her attention to the picture pinned up on the wall. It had been drawn with a child's hand and perfectly depicted the last picture of the book. A happy family of three standing with beacon academy silhouetted behind them. This only made the young faunus cry harder for it was a dream that had been cut down before her very eyes.

She stayed there for what seemed an age shuddering under the weight of her own sobbing.

"Nothing burns in your heart like the emptiness of losing something, someone, before you truly have learned of their value."

…

Author's Note: A short chapter to end this tale.


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